Founder and philanthropist Bill Gates was in China yesterday to raise awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke in the country with the world's largest smoking population.

Bill Gates (right), Microsoft Corp co-founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, laughs after he and Robin Li, founder and chief executive of Chinese search engine Baidu, put on shirts bearing the slogan: "Say No to Involuntary Smoking" during a media conference in Beijing yesterday.

Gates is partnering with Robin Li, chief executive of Baidu Inc, which operates China's most popular search engine, in a foundation using traditional and online media to pinpoint the dangers of inhaling smoke from the cigarettes of others.

"Both (media) let people know about the damage of forced smoking and give some education about how in a very polite way they can ask people not to put them in that situation," Gates said at a news conference in Beijing.

According to government statistics, smoking is linked to the deaths of at least 1 million people in China every year, making it one of the greatest health threats the country faces. Nearly 30 percent of adults in China smoke - about 300 million people.

More than double that number are estimated to suffer exposure to the risks of secondhand smoke, which include increased asthma attacks, ear and respiratory infections, and cancer, according to the Health Ministry.

The annual number of smoking-related deaths could rise to 3 million by 2030 without greater efforts, Vice Health Minister Huang Jiefu said, warning that tobacco control efforts in China face a "serious challenge."

"Our country has made progress in controlling smoking, but speaking overall, we still have a tough road ahead," Huang said. "The effect on our country's future could be great."

New rules banning smoking in venues such as hotels and restaurants took effect in May, but still exclude workplaces and fail to specify punishments for violators.

China has already missed a January deadline to ban smoking at public indoor venues in accordance with a WHO-backed global anti-tobacco treaty.