Restaurants could be among the last havens for smokers in Beijing as the city tries to ban public smoking ahead of
this summer's Olympics, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.
Lighting up in restaurants, bars and Internet cafes will continue to be allowed even after a citywide public smoking ban comes into force May 1, as long as the venue has provided separate smoking and nonsmoking areas, the China Daily reported.
"Originally, we wanted restaurants to keep 70 percent of the areas smoke-free, but owners of Chinese restaurants -- both big and small -- worried the plan would hurt their business," Zhang Peili, an official with Beijing's municipal government supervising the ban, told the newspaper.
"It is difficult for us to control smoking in restaurants. It's just part of the culture," he said.
China is home to 350 million smokers -- a third of the global total.
Beijing pledged to hold a smoke-free Olympics and last month proposed a smoking ban in government offices, sports venues, hospitals and museums. Last week Chinese media reported it would also be extended to elementary, secondary and primary school campuses.
Last October, Beijing banned smoking in the city's 66,000 taxis, threatening drivers with a 200 yuan ($29) fine if they are caught.
In 2005 China ratified World Health Organization rules that urged it, within three years, to restrict tobacco advertising and sponsorship, put tougher health warnings on cigarettes, raise tobacco prices and taxes, curb secondhand smoke, prohibit cigarette sales to minors and clamp down on smuggling of cigarettes.
