For more news visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com<br />Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision<br />Add us on Facebook ☛ http://facebook.com/NTDTelevision<br /><br />The Chinese regime is delaying its smoking ban in public places until May 1st, but officials believe it could take decades before any progress is made.<br /><br />The ban will apply to restaurants, theaters, hotels, parks and museums, but not offices. <br /><br />A deadline set for January 9 this year—when China signed the World Trade Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control—passed without action. <br /><br />Bans were also attempted during the Shanghai World Expo and the Beijing Olympics, but they were ignored and only a few fines were issued.<br /><br />Smoking is widely entrenched in Chinese society with about 300 million smokers. People regularly smoke on public transport, domestic flights and medical waiting rooms.<br /><br />This month, legislator Sun Shiyun told the Shanghai Daily it could take 50 years to realize the goal of smoke-free public venues.<br /><br />Others say the massive revenue from state-owned tobacco companies is a major disincentive for top-down action.
