China looks to extend advertising bans

China’s top legislature has begun reviewing a draft amendment that would extend the country’s current tobacco advertising restrictions, according to a China Daily story.

‘Tobacco advertisements directly or indirectly transmitted via radio, film, television, newspapers, magazines, books, audio and visual products, electronic publications, telecommunication networks and the Internet are banned,’ says a copy of the draft amendment obtained by the Xinhua news agency.

The draft includes a ban on all outdoor tobacco advertisements and provides information about the specific public venues where such advertisements would be banned, such as libraries, cultural centers, museums, parks, waiting rooms, theaters, meeting halls, sports auditoriums, and near hospitals and schools.

The bill, which was submitted to lawmakers on Monday, reflects what the China Daily described as a heated anti-smoking battle in the country.

In June, the paper reported, scholars, health and legal professionals, and tobacco control experts jointly signed a letter to the national legislative body urging it to outlaw tobacco advertising completely.