Chinese Capital Bans Smoking In Public

The capital of the world’s largest producer and consumer of tobacco has banned smoking in public places.

The standing committee of the Beijing People’s Congress passed the no-smoking law Thursday, which goes into effect in May, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The move follows similar bans in other large cities, including Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenyang and Chongqing.

Violators will be fined $1.20. The average worker’s salary in Beijing is about $48.

China has more than 350 million smokers among its 1.2 billion population. Virtually every adult male smokes. Chinese smokers consume 150 billion cigarettes annually, or about 30 percent of the world’s total.

No-smoking areas include waiting rooms, school classrooms, theaters, meeting rooms, music halls and public transport facilities.