Chinese authorities have taken the anti-smoking stance to a new level by branding the country's multi-billion-dollar tobacco business a pariah industry and calling for an education campaign to address the fact that two-thirds of the country's smokers have no idea the habit could be harmful to health

State officials are urging tobacco-dependent local economies to switch to other products. However, the cigarette sector is a basic industry in some provinces, where it is the main source of income.
The Chinese government has recently banned smoking in trains, aircrafts, ships, buses, subways, taxis, ticket halls and waiting rooms. Offenders will have to pay a fine of up to US$ 6.