China will ban the sale and import of cigarettes containing more than 11 milligrams of tar from 1 January 2013, according to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA).

The move comes as the government seeks to reduce the health-care costs associated with smoking. Cancer and other chronic diseases spurred by smoking may lead to slower growth in the world's second-biggest economy if unabated, Health Minister Chen Zhu said in an interview earlier this months, reports Today online.´
China set the limit for tar per cigarette at 17 milligrams in 2001 and gradually cut it to 12 milligrams by 2011 to make smoking "less harmful." (pi)