Public health groups have called for a wider ban on all forms of tobacco advertisement under China's advertising law which is currently undergoing revision.

The amendment to the current advertisement law in the country included a comprehensive ban to all forms of tobacco advertisement in TV, newspaper, radio, magazines and even web portals. The ban took effect in early 1995 and is currently being amended to widen the scope of the ban on tobacco products in China.

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Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention deputy director Liang Xiaofeng said that the ban is also extended to the loopholes of the tobacco businesses who are trying to sneak into social media platforms like WeChat.

New forms of tobacco advertisement included ads on playing cards, airplane seat covers and napkin boxes found in restaurants.

NGO Think Tank deputy director Wu Yiqun agreed to the widened commitment to control tobacco and smoking in the country through the comprehensive ban.

Wu said that the revised advertising law should prohibit all forms of tobacco ads in the country. She added that it would be in line with the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which has been effective since 2006 in China.

However, Wu said that the current publicized amendment to the tobacco advertising law has been deemed somewhat partial. This is after the amendment applies to media advertisement and still allows tobacco ads in public places including malls, internet bars, public restrooms and supermarkets.

Deputy Director of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, Xu Guihua, said that the draft amendment does not cover the ads restriction to public places.

CDC conducted a survey recently which recorded about 49 percent of Chinese students between 13 to 15 years old having seen tobacco ads in the past few months.  An additional 2 percent said that they also received free cigarettes from tobacco establishments, according to CDC.

On the other hand, media reports said that 22 countries which conducted a comprehensive tobacco advertisement ban helped reduce smoking by about 6.3 percent.

TagsChinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco advertisement ban, Liang Xiaofeng, Wu Yiqun, Think Tank