Come 2025, and at least 2 million lives will be lost each year to smoking-related diseases in China, health experts have warned.

A man smokes in front of a no-smoking sign on May 30 in Haikou, capital of South China’s Hainan province. [China Daily]

The use of tobacco by Chinese men, 53 percent of whom are smokers, has already peaked.

Every year, some 1 million people die from tobacco-related diseases in China, which is home to about 300 million smokers.

"The crucial time has come for China to implement tougher tobacco control measures, which will be good for both national health and wealth," Judith Mackay, a Hong Kong-based tobacco control expert said on Thursday at the launch of the Chinese version of The Tobacco Atlas, compiled jointly by the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation.

The number of Chinese men who smoke has decreased 3 percent over the past decade, while many other countries have reported a 15 percent drop in tobacco use, said Yang Gonghuang, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.