China university smoking area row highlights wider tobacco control challenge

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) A student’s complaint over the absence of benches in a university smoking area in China, saying it was “exhausting” to smoke while standing, has reignited debate over the country’s broader tobacco control challenge. 

The report received global coverage, where a student at the Xian International Studies University in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province was said to have filed a complaint in the school’s internal feedback channel. It cited the absence of benches in designated areas, making smoking too “exhausting”. The student further asked the administration to provide an adequate seating facility.

In response, a “university teacher responded with a lengthy letter saying that making smokers feel tired was exactly why the area was designed in the way it was,” reported the South China Morning Post on Wednesday.

“The smoking area is not for resting. We set them up to provide a transition space for those who temporarily cannot quit smoking, to smoke away from the crowd and reduce the influence of second-hand smoke on other people,” quoted the report.

It added that the letter slammed the student’s request by saying: “When you complain about feeling ‘tired’ smoking while standing, have you thought of how tired other people are withstanding your second-hand smoke?”

Studies show that smoking among young people in China remains alarmingly high, despite government campaigns to curb tobacco use. Beijing, emphasises China’s media, prohibits smoking in public places, indoor workplaces and in lines of people outdoors. Some cities ban smoking in indoor workplaces, indoor public places, public vehicles and outdoor areas in schools, parks and medical institutions, according to an earlier report in China Daily.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report put China as the largest producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. There are more than 300 million smokers in China, which the WHO described as nearly one-third of the world's total.

“More than half of adult men are current tobacco smokers. About one in every three cigarettes smoked in the world is smoked in China. In addition, over 700 million non-smokers in China, including about 180 million children, are exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) at least once a day in a typical week. Exposure to SHS causes 100,000 deaths annually,” it added.

The study found that 26.6 per cent of adults aged 15 years and above in China are current smokers. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes a “current smoker” as an adult who has smoked 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime and who currently smokes cigarettes.

Beginning in 1991, this group was divided into “everyday” smokers or “somedays” smokers. China itself has been actively involved in monitoring and addressing smoking rates in the country.

“Chinese men consume around 40 per cent of the world's cigarettes, causing a substantial and growing burden of tobacco-attributed death and disease. In 2005, the Chinese Government ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and tobacco control measures have since increased nationwide,” observed science journal The Lancet.

“Traditionally, tobacco in China was regarded as a delightful gift akin to tea and wine, with ancient medical literature suggesting tobacco to refresh the chest and ward off impurities, although tobacco dependence was associated with premature death,” it observed.

China ramped up efforts to control smoking, with 254 cities altogether till 2024 introducing or revising measures to curb it, some reports said, quoting health authorities. At the provincial level, 24 regions in China have rolled out regulations on smoking, with the proportion of the population protected by comprehensive smoke-free regulations continuing to increase, according to experts from the National Health Commission, said an earlier China Daily report.

The country’s “Healthy China 2030” plan ambitiously aims to reduce smoking prevalence to 20 per cent by 2030, but progress is reportedly slow. The Xi’an University incident reflects a broader shift in China’s public health strategy, where institutions are refusing to normalise smoking behaviour among youth.

While the refusal to provide benches may seem symbolic, it implies a recognition that comforting smokers perpetuates addiction. By refusing benches to reduce “exhaustion” while puffing, the institution signals that smoking should remain inconvenient, aligning with national health goals.

However, the persistence of high smoking rates among young adults means that without stronger interventions, China risks a new generation burdened by tobacco-related disease. Many other universities are now increasingly restricting smoking areas to discourage tobacco use, and also offering cessation programmes.