Official argues gory photos go against Chinese culture
China has no plan to print graphic warnings such as pictures of blackened lungs on cigarette packages, as such images do not conform with Chinese culture, said a senior official with China's tobacco administration on Tuesday. [Special coverage]
Duan Tieli, deputy head of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) and a delegate of the National People's Congress, told the Beijing-based Legal Mirror on Tuesday that China has no plan to increase pictorial warnings on cigarette packages.
Duan said photos of smokers' darkened teeth and rotten lungs or images of skulls are not consistent with traditional Chinese cultural values.
Most cigarette packages sold in the Chinese mainland feature large brand logos or images of scenic spots, and only a small number carry written health warnings in small print, such as "smoking is harmful to your health."
Wu Yiqun, deputy director of ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, a Beijing-based nongovernmental organization (NGO), told the Global Times on Tuesday that Duan's statement ignores the fact that 85 countries and regions cross the world have mandated the use of graphic warning labels on cigarette packages.
Although graphic warning labels on cigarette packages have proven to be the most effective and inexpensive method of smoking control, no such notices are found on cigarette packages in the Chinese mainland, said a report released by Wu's NGO in January.
China currently has more than 300 million smokers, and more than 1.4 million people die of tobacco-related diseases in the country every year, according to the World Health Organization.
A report published by The Lancet estimated that Chinese men smoke one-third of the world's cigarettes, and one-third of all young men in China are doomed to die from the habit.
Wu noted that China's current health warnings on cigarette packages are too weak and should at least tell buyers that smoking will cause diseases such as lung cancer.
She called on NGOs to do more to lobby government advisers and legislators for action on tobacco control during this year's two sessions.
Meanwhile, Duan from the STMA said that sales of cigarettes were affected by Beijing's adoption of the country's strictest ban on smoking in public places in 2015. She added that the impact is likely to continue if the ban is implemented by more regions throughout China.
Furthermore, the retail price of cigarettes increased by 10 percent in 2015 after the Chinese government raised the consumer tax on them.
Duan said that raising the price of cigarettes is not the only way to control tobacco use and noted that the administration has no intention of raising prices further.
