China's efforts to boost the economy

**Carach** · May 05, 2009, 06:02 AM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/8033101.stm

China orders officials to smoke
A Chinese county has ordered officials to smoke nearly a quarter of a million packs of cigarettes every year in the hopes of raising tax revenues.

Gong'an county told civil servants and teachers to smoke 230,000 packs of the locally-made Hubei brand each year.

Those who do not smoke enough, or are caught puffing on brands from other provinces, or overseas, face being fined or even fired.

The decision has led provincial leaders to order a review of the policy.

A million people die from smoking-related diseases in China every year, but local officials were undeterred by the health risks.

"The regulation will boost the local economy via the cigarette tax," Chen Nianzu, a member of the cigarette market supervision team in Gong'an county, Hubei province, told the Global Times newspaper.

The paper said the measure could be an attempt to shore up the Hubei brands against tough competition from cigarettes produced in neighbouring Hunan province.

Smoking is deep-rooted in Chinese culture - where more than half of all male doctors smoke - and there is still a general lack of awareness about the impact on health.

But the authorities have recently started encouraging smokers to kick the habit - even imposing a ban on smoking in public buildings in the capital, Beijing, in the run up to the 2008 Olympic games.

..unconventional...

**The Dude** · May 05, 2009, 06:10 AM

What the hell...

**Carach** · May 05, 2009, 06:11 AM

i want to see some US states implement such ideas too. Perhaps that montana gun relaxation stuff is all about encouraging people to buy guns and support industry too?

**Ishoss** · May 05, 2009, 06:17 AM

That's just... too funny!

**Homeros** · May 05, 2009, 06:47 AM

Probably a new (economical) way to combat overpopulation

**Chaigidel** · May 05, 2009, 06:58 AM

yeah with that kind of population there is no reason not to encourage them to poison themselves

**Carach** · May 05, 2009, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by Chaigidel

yeah with that kind of population there is no reason not to encourage them to poison themselves

personally, id like to see critics of the Opium wars apologise to Britain. We were merely giving the Chinese what they wanted. Just like here, it was only the establishment that didnt like it because the money for the trade wasnt going their way

**Mithie** · May 05, 2009, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by Carach

personally, id like to see critics of the Opium wars apologise to Britain. We were merely giving the Chinese what they wanted. Just like here, it was only the establishment that didnt like it because the money for the trade wasnt going their way

The problem with the Opium war wasn't with the opium - it was with opium trade being a front for British-sponsored movement of human trafficking/sex slavery/exploitation of local labor across and from Southeast China from Hongkong to British Indochina, where millions of lives were exploited and lost for petty cash.

Also - I looked up the actual "legislation" in Chinese, and found several points of interest:

1. It's not a mandatory law but a bill that hasn't been passed yet.

2. It's not encouraging officials to smoke; the preamble states that smoking is unhealthy and not becoming of a proper government representative.

3. That said, the county chair recognizes the pervasiveness of smoking among social workers and encourages the smoking of the Hubei domestic brand as opposed to Western and Sujiang brands, because this way, the taxes are kept within the county and Hubei has much more strict nicotine content control than other provinces for their cigarette industry, and is generally less unhealthy than competing brands.

The bill is probably not going to pass because it conflicts with the free market and anti-trust clauses of the Chinese federal constitution.

As a side note, Hubei is also the first province in China to ban smoking in government venues. Beijing is considering making this ban federal law.

Well, now that I've completely killed the sensationalism in this thread, I guess everybody can go home now.

**Carach** · May 05, 2009, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Mithie

The problem with the Opium war wasn't with the opium - it was with opium trade being a front for British-sponsored movement of human trafficking/sex slavery/exploitation of local labor across and from Southeast China from Hongkong to British Indochina, where millions of lives were exploited and lost for petty cash.

it was a joke mithie

Originally Posted by Mithie

Well, now that I've completely killed the sensationalism in this thread, I guess everybody can go home now.

curse u

**Mithie** · May 05, 2009, 07:03 AM

Nothing the Chinese federal government can do about it. Counties do have the right to legislate their own laws and economic policies, as stupid as this is.

**Farnan** · May 05, 2009, 07:04 AM

This looks like one of those things discussed in a bar and sound like an awesome idea drunk. However, that county went ahead and did it...

**Mithie** · May 05, 2009, 07:11 AM

Actually, if you noticed, the "order" applies only to government officials in that county. I'm sure the average citizen has no problem with dead officials from lung cancer.