A survey by China's top health authority has revealed that the country's smoking ban in indoor public places is poorly observed, Wang Suyang, director of the National Center for Health Inspection and Supervision under the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said Wednesday.

The smoking ban enforcement in 144 restaurants and 140 hotels in regions including Heilongjiang, Shandong, Gansu and Xinjiang was monitored over the past year.

"In these places, anti-smoking enforcement has been slack. Only 6.1 percent of the businesses have designated smoking areas and 1.4 percent have warning signs to alert smokers," said Wang.

China enacted an indoor smoking ban in public venues starting May 2011. Experts pointed out that the law's enforcement faces challenges as it does not have specific penalties.

Wang said that 90 percent of smokers surveyed admitted that they would have put out cigarettes if they were told not to smoke.

China is the largest tobacco producer and consumer in the world, with more than 300 million smokers and another 740 million people affected by passive smoking. About 1 million Chinese people die from tobacco-related illnesses annually.

Global Times - Xinhua