China: low tar cigarettes not better

BEIJING - China reiterated that low tar cigarette will not reduce the harm caused by smoking, and more than 3 million Chinese will die each year from smoking by 2050, if no measures are taken, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.

The majority of the public has the misconception that "low tar equals to low harm," the report said.

The report also said that cigarettes added with Chinese herbal medicine were equally harmful to health as ordinary cigarettes.

According to the report, three-quarters of Chinese are not fully aware of the harm caused by smoking, and two-thirds of people do not know about the the danger of being exposed to second-hand smoking.

China is the largest tobacco producing and consuming country in the world, with more than 300 million smokers and another 740 million people suffering from second-hand smoking, the report said.