Bigger sales of tobacco products go against plan for healthy nation

LAST WEEK, China Tobacco Corporation urged its local branches to try their best to fulfill the annual sales objective of 47.5 million cases of cigarettes - which is 2.38 trillion cigarettes - by the end of next month. China Youth Daily comments:

As the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control said, it is contradictory to the Healthy China 2030 plan and the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which China is a signatory country, for a State-owned tobacco enterprise to set an annual sales objective. The annual sales of cigarettes has risen fast since 2016 when the sales fell to 47 million cases from a historical high of 51 million cases in 2014.

Tobacco is a special commodity related to public health and since it is under State control it should be relatively easier for China to reduce its use. But it just goes to the opposite direction, as the smoker population in China has remained unchanged, if not slightly increased, over these years.