The use of graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, Chinese mainland (left) versus Brazil Photo: Courtesy of ThankTank Research Center for Health Development

China's tobacco administration has been obstructing the use of graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, another reason the country has struggled to effectively reduce the number of smokers, according to a 2015 China tobacco control report released on Tuesday.

The biggest obstacle to using graphic warning labels on cigarette packages comes from the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), which believes such images could lead to possible decline in sales, especially for some high-end cigarettes, Wu Yiqun, deputy director of ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, a Beijing-based NGO, told the Global Times.

Graphic warning labels on cigarette packages have proven to be the most effective and inexpensive method to control smoking, but such signs cannot be found on cigarette packages in the Chinese mainland, according to the report released by the NGO on Tuesday.

Most cigarettes in the Chinese mainland are printed with large brand logos or images of scenic spots, with only a small number carrying written health warnings in small font sizes, such as "smoking is harmful to your health."

Globally, 85 countries and regions have mandated the use of graphic warning labels as of May 2015, and the images usually occupy over 50 percent of the package in 60 countries and regions, the report showed.

The tobacco industry's opposition to the use of graphic labels is another reason Chinese smokers have insufficient knowledge about the hazard of smoking and are reluctant to quit the habit, the report said.

Only 17.6 percent of the smokers plan to quit the habit in a year and 14.4 percent have succeeded, according to the 2015 tobacco research report on Chinese adults conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The NGO called on the government to require printing of warning images on cigarette packages in 2016.

"We will lobby government advisers and legislators during this year's two sessions," Wu said.

The CDC report also showed that the number of smokers in China has increased by 15 million in the last five years.

Calling the figure "completely unacceptable," Bernhard Schwartländer, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in China, on Tuesday called on legislators to make 2016 the year that China adopts a nationwide tobacco control law. 

Schwartländer's appeal was echoed by Wu, who said that only 18 Chinese cities have come up with tobacco control legislation so far, covering about 10 percent of China's total population.