Thank you for the opportunity to share thoughts towards the 13th Five-Year Plan and China’s development. I am an American citizen and honored to call China my home while employed here.

Below I have shared an excerpt from a written assignment towards my master’s degree in public policy and law. I know great strides have been made towards banning cigarette smoke in public places, many which may have taken effect. I am confident in China’s efforts towards a greater and healthier nation.

Smoking Ban

A stronger, more concerted effort to ban smoking in public places will reduce the health risks resulting from exposure to secondhand smoke and promote healthier lifestyles. With the 13th annual 5 year plan set for development in March 2016, the smoking crisis in China should be one of its priorities once it meets to create targets and specific guidelines to promote the economic and social advancement of China’s future.

China is the second largest economy in the world. Yet its dependency on tobacco use is not only a contributing factor to its wealth but to the deteriorating health of its Chinese nationals. Failure to launch and follow through with stricter enforcement of smoking bans to improve the health and quality of life of active and passive smokers will aid in the decline of its economic productivity and longevity of life. To counter the adverse effects of smoking, implementation of higher taxation of businesses who fail to comply with regulations, increased wide-spread anti-smoking campaigns and readily available smoking cessation programs will help sustain the nation’s growth.