Ling Chengxing, director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), retaliated against proposed stricter regulations by cautioning against “expansionist” rule making, the news agency Reuters reported.

Chengxing noted tobacco use has a long tradition, and said “absolutist” regulation was the wrong approach, Reuters said in a story citing an interview with the director published in Study Times.
A draft regulation would ban smoking in public places and advertising of tobacco products. Outdoor smoking would be limited, according to wire service reports.