China's top legislature ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Beijing on Sunday and announced a nationwide law banning tobacco vending machines.
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The Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, approved the treaty that the government signed in 2003, and said tobacco vending machines of any kind will be banned throughout the country, including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.
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According to the treaty, the world's first legal instrument designed to reduce tobacco-related deaths and diseases, all tobacco venders should place clear and prominent signs at points of sale on the prohibition of sales to minors and, in case of doubt, request evidence of age.
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Regulations were enacted in China in 1999 to prohibit sales to minors, but Wang Dongsheng, from Beijing's Renmin University of China, said it was unrealistic to rely on venders' consciences, and that concrete legal enforcement and punishment are essential.
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The treaty also bans tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship on radio, television, print media and the internet within five years, and prohibits sponsorship of international events and activities.
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A recent survey conducted by State Tobacco Monopoly Administration among 220,000 people in 183 cities concluded there are more than 300 million smokers in China, 5 million of whom are minors.
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According to the Chinese Association on Smoking Control, about 1.2 million Chinese die of tobacco-related diseases each year, a quarter of the world total. 1,798 billion cigarettes were sold in China in 2003, making it the world's largest cigarette market.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2005)