China

Project and Country Background

China has a population of 1.38 billion people; 27.3 percent of the adult population and 5.9 percent of the youth population smoke cigarettes.1 An estimated 2,197,652 people in China die each year from diseases caused by smoking.2

TPackSS worked with in-country collaborators to purchase cigarettes in five major cities: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Kunming and Chengdu. Within each city, packs were collected from a sample of 12 economically and socially diverse neighborhoods. Data collectors purchased one of every unique cigarette pack available from vendors selected in each neighborhood. From November 12 to December 6, 2013, data collectors purchased 453 unique cigarette packs. Then from February 6 to February 22, 2017, data collectors visited the same five cities and purchased 738 unique cigarette packs. 

The tobacco packaging and labeling requirements in effect at the time of data collection were used to assess each tobacco pack’s compliance with the requirements.

Suggested Citation for Information on this Page: Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS). China: Project and Country Background. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. http://globaltobaccocontrol.org/tpackss/country/china [Insert Last Updated Date].

Browse packs from China

Packaging and Labeling Requirements Summary

Data collection dates Type of warning Warning label size and layout Number of warnings to be displayed Rotation Rules for misleading descriptors Other requirements

Nov. 12 to Dec. 6, 2013

[453 unique packs collected]

Text
30% of front, 30% of back

2

None

Some restrictions

Warning texts must appear in Chinese on the front and back of the pack

Feb. 6 to Feb. 22, 2017 

[738 unique packs collected]

Text
35% of front, 35% of back

3

None

Some restrictions

Warning texts must appear in Chinese on the front and back of the pack

General tobacco packaging and labeling requirements in China are regulated by the Tobacco Monopoly Law (1991) and its implementing regulations (1997). More specific tobacco packaging and labeling requirements were issued by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in 2007 in the Rules on Cigarette Package Labeling in the Territories of the People’s Republic of China. In 2008, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued a Notice on Interpretation of Relevant Articles in the Rules on Cigarette Package Labeling in the Territories of People’s Republic of China and on Review and Approval Requirements. The notice set standards for the structure of packaging labels as well as prohibited misleading descriptors.3

  1. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, Country profile China. (2017). Retrieved October 25, 2018

     

    from http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/policy/country_profile/chn.pdf?ua=1.

  2. Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017) Results by Location, Cause, and Risk Factor. Retrieved November 29, 2018

    from http://ihmeuw.org/4nob.

  3. Tobacco Control Laws Country Details for China: Packaging and Labeling. (2017). Retrieved October 25, 2018

    from http://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/country/china/pl-health-warnings.