11 June 2008 – SCMP
China admits it has 15 million underage smokers, most of whom started before they turned 13, according to a Health Ministry report that blames advertising, easy access to cigarettes and low prices. China’s three top-selling brands cost less than five yuan a packet, and more than 90 per cent of young smokers surveyed said no stores had ever refused to sell them tobacco, despite a ban on sales to those under 18, AFP reports.