China must try to build a smoke-free social environment and boost awareness of non-smokers' rights if it is to contain the skyrocketing costs of a national tobacco obsession.

Chen Guiyun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, said a legally binding smoking ban in public places was a priority.

"No smoking" signs are often seen in Chinese cities -- on buses, in hospitals, schools and stores -- but since they are not legally binding, people just ignore them.

Chen said China was making slow progress in the fight against smoking and the diseases it causes, particularly lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

"The State Council should lose no time in drafting a regulation banning smoking in public places such as hospitals, schools, entertainment venues and department stores," said Chen.

Chen, a delegate to the National People's Congress (NPC) and an anti-smoking campaigner, said China now has a staggering 320 million smokers, accounting for one quarter of the world's total. But there could be as many as 600 million passive smokers, he said.

Chinese media this week reported that a 10 year-old girl from Jiangsu province, a victim of passive smoking in her family entourage, had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

According to a recent study published in the authoritative UK journal The Lancet, exposure to cigarette smoke in any form, active and passive, is harmful and smokers have a threefold increased risk of a heart attack compared to those who had never smoked.

750,000 people die of diseases caused by smoking in China each year.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2006)