2015年CRI 北京人欢迎新禁烟令（在线收听）

Today, a series of new stringent anti-smoking rules take effect in Beijing.

Many citizens and smoking-control experts have showed their support for this action.

"I dislike the behavior of smoking in public areas. I think secondhand smoking does great harm to people who don't smoke."

"I think the ban is very good. Smoking is really not a good thing."

The World Health Organization's representative in China, Bernhard Schwartlander,

says the issue of the new smoking ban is in line with Beijing's determination to become a smoking-free city.

"Most people simply have no idea how bad smoking is for the health. I'm not only talking about the smokers themselves,

I'm also talking about the secondhand smoking. It's a useful opportunity for Beijing and for China to really do something for the health of the people.

And what is very particular about this law is not only that it dedicates all public spaces to be smoke free,

it also has really thought about very carefully how we can make sure that the law will be adhere to."

The director of Beijing Health and Family Planning Commission, Fang Laiying, calls on the whole of Chinese society to take part in making the anti-smoking law work.

"To better implement the regulations, we could not only rely on the enforcement team led by the government.

The whole society is welcomed to join in the law-enforcement process. Our aim is not to punish people who are smoking,

but to help people to quit smoking and to help them in the fight against this bad habit."

As many Chinese are used to smoking when dining, restaurant owners are being urged to do more to help implement the ban.

This morning, the famous hot pot chain brand, Haidilao, became the first to be warned after the new regulation came into effect.

According to the local Health Supervision Institute's inspection, two cigarette ends have been found in a Haidilao outlet in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

Inspectors further indicate that the tip-off hotline has not been included in the restaurant's anti-smoking signs.

Moreover, the restaurant does not have any work record of self-inspection on smoking.

The restaurant is urged to make prompt corrections, or it will face a fine up to 2,000 yuan, or some 320 U.S. dollars.

An expert in smoking control, Wu Yiqun, points out that the comprehensive implementation of smoking ban needs time in addition to collaborative efforts.

"We could not expect the new rules to be fully carried out in one or two months. We have a large smoking population and a deep tobacco culture.

Moreover, the temptation of selling tobacco is huge. Based on these facts, law-enforcement practice going into the smoking ban needs time.

In addition, we should improve the education on the harm of smoking. If people even don't know the risks of secondhand smoking,

how could they consciously give up or prohibit smoking? All these need to be included in the process."

China is now the world's largest producer and consumer of tobacco products.

Health authorities estimate that about 1.5 million people in China die from smoking-related diseases every year,

while 100 thousand die form secondhand smoke-related diseases.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.