JOY DONG2026年5月27日中国在控烟和颁布全国性室内禁烟令方面进展缓慢。 Gilles Sabrie for The New York TimesOn a warm spring day in 2012, Xi Jinping, then China’s vice president, met with Bill Gates in Beijing. As the men were walking out of the meeting room, the conversation turned to smoking in a country that consumes nearly half the world’s cigarettes.2012年一个温暖的春日，时任中国国家副主席习近平在北京会见了比尔·盖茨。当两人走出会议室时，话题转向了在这个消耗全球近半香烟国家里的吸烟问题。Mr. Xi, a former smoker, said he felt much better after quitting years earlier and described tobacco use as a serious problem for China, recalled Dr. Ray Yip, then head of the Gates Foundation in China. Mr. Xi, who would become president the next year, promised to “do something about tobacco,” Dr. Yip said.据时任盖茨基金会中国区负责人的叶雷博士回忆，曾是烟民的习近平说，他在几年前戒烟后感觉好多了，并称烟草使用是中国面临的一个严重问题。叶雷表示，将于次年出任国家主席的习近平曾承诺要“对烟草问题采取行动”。Days later, Mr. Gates appeared at an antismoking event with Peng Liyuan, the Chinese leader’s wife and a celebrity singer. Both wore red shirts emblazoned with an antismoking slogan.几天后，盖茨与这位中国领导人的妻子、著名歌唱家彭丽媛共同出席了一场控烟活动。两人都穿着印有控烟标语的红色T恤。Yet in the 14 years since, as Mr. Xi has become China’s most dominant leader in decades, Beijing has made only slow progress curbing tobacco use or enacting a national indoor smoking ban. While cigarette sales have fallen across much of the world, China has moved in the opposite direction.然而，在之后的14年里，尽管习近平已成为中国几十年来最具统治力的领导人，北京在遏制吸烟或制定全国性室内禁烟令方面进展缓慢。在全球大部分地区卷烟销量下降的同时，中国却走向了相反的方向。Cigarette consumption in China rose 39 percent from 2003 to 2023, even as it fell 26 percent in the rest of the world. The 2.4 trillion cigarettes sold in China each year account for nearly half the global total, according to a report by a nongovernmental organization founded by former officials from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.2003年至2023年间，中国的卷烟消费量增长39%，同期世界其他地区的消费量则下降了26%。由中国疾病预防控制中心前官员创立的一家非政府组织的报告显示，中国每年售出2.4万亿支香烟，占全球总量近一半。The percentage of smokers has declined over the last 13 years, as fewer young people smoke, but cigarette sales have steadily grown. Cigarettes prices are low: A pack costs about $3 on average, roughly one-third the price in the United States.过去13年来，随着吸烟的年轻人减少，吸烟率有所下降，但卷烟销量却在稳步增长。香烟价格低廉：平均每包售价约 20元，大约是美国价格的三分之一。盖茨基金会前中国区负责人叶雷表示，习近平曾誓言“对烟草问题采取行动”。The failure to slow cigarette sales is a measure of the clout wielded by China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, which both regulates the industry and operates the country’s dominant cigarette maker, the China National Tobacco Corporation.卷烟销量未能放缓反映了中国国家烟草专卖局所掌握的巨大影响力，该机构既是行业的监管者，也运营着中国占据主导地位的卷烟制造商中国烟草总公司。The company generated roughly $244 billion in profit and tax revenue in 2025, about 7 percent of national government revenue and nearly what China says it spends on defense.该公司在2025年创造了约16570亿元的利税总额，约占国家政府财政收入的7%，几乎与中国官方公布的国防支出相当。With economic growth slowing and a prolonged property slump eroding local governments’ land-sale income, tobacco revenue has become even more essential. The agency has also channeled its profits to support several of Mr. Xi’s strategic priorities.随着经济增长放缓以及长期的房地产低迷侵蚀了地方政府土地出让收入，烟草收入变得更加不可或缺。该机构还将其利润用于支持习近平的多项战略优先事项。Last year, it injected more than $1 billion into one of China’s biggest banks to shore up the financial system. It has also been a major backer of a $100 billion national semiconductor investment fund.去年，它向中国最大的银行之一注资超过75亿元，以支撑金融系统。它也是一项规模达7000亿元的国家半导体投资基金的主要支持者。The financial weight has translated into political influence. The agency’s chief administrator holds a rank equivalent to a deputy government minister. Seven former top administrators have been arrested on corruption charges in the past seven years.这种财务实力已转化为政治影响力。该机构的最高管理者拥有相当于政府副部长的行政级别。在过去七年中，已有七名前高管因腐败指控被捕。In 2022, the agency expanded its authority to cover vapes, imposing far stricter rules, including limits on where they can be sold and bans on flavored products. Unlike in other countries, vaping has not eroded cigarette demand in China. Beijing ratified the World Health Organization tobacco-control treaty in 2005 but has never implemented its strictest provisions.2022年，该机构将管辖权扩大到了电子烟领域，实施了严格得多的规定，包括限制销售地点和禁止销售调味产品。与其他国家不同的是，电子烟并没有削弱中国对传统卷烟的需求。北京于2005年批准了世界卫生组织的控烟条约，但从未实施其最严格的条款。烟草管理部门阻止了推行全国性室内禁烟令的努力，将责任推给了地方政府，而地方政府的执法力度往往较弱。The administration’s clearest victory came around 2017 when it blocked a yearslong push for a national indoor smoking ban, shifting responsibility to local governments, where enforcement is often weak.该局最明显的一次胜利发生在大约2017年，当时它阻挠了一项推动数年的全国室内禁烟令，将责任推给了地方政府，而地方的执法往往较弱。Today, many local smoking regulations are largely toothless and offer scant protection from secondhand smoke, particularly in less developed parts of the country. While cigarette packs in the United States and other Western countries carry impossible-to-ignore health warnings, packaging in China bears a single-line caution alongside images of national symbols like pandas and the Gate of Heavenly Peace.如今，许多地方的控烟法规在很大程度上形同虚设，对二手烟的防护作用微乎其微，尤其是在该国的欠发达地区。美国和其他西方国家的烟盒上印有不容忽视的健康警告，而在中国，烟盒包装上只有一行简单的警示语，旁边还印着熊猫和天安门等国家象征的图案。A 2022 study published by the Chinese C.D.C. concluded that the country’s inability to rein in smoking was the result of interference by the state monopoly and the government’s “ambiguous attitudes” toward tobacco.中国疾病预防控制中心于2022年发表的一项研究得出结论，中国无法遏制吸烟趋势是因为国家专卖局的干预以及政府对烟草的“暧昧态度“。The influence of local branches of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration deepened after the Covid-19 pandemic, when many governments were left financially strained by the cost of mass testing. Their lobbying is especially effective because cigarette production and consumption taxes are instrumental to local budgets.在新冠疫情之后，随着大规模核酸检测带来的成本使许多地方政府财政吃紧，国家烟草专卖局各地分支机构的影响力进一步加深。由于卷烟的生产和消费税对地方财政起着举足轻重的作用，这些分支机构的游说尤为有效。A study by Zheng Rong, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, found that roughly half the revenue from each cigarette sold by Chinese manufacturers flowed into government coffers.北京对外经济贸易大学教授郑榕的一项研究发现，中国制造商每售出一支香烟，其中大约一半的收入将流入政府财政。The dependence is acute in China’s largest tobacco-producing regions. In Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, tobacco taxes accounted for more than half the city budget in 2024. In Changde, a city in Hunan Province in central China, tobacco taxes accounted for 20 percent of its tax revenue in 2022.这种依赖在中国最大的烟草产区尤为严重。在中国西南部云南省的省会昆明，2024年的烟草税收占该市预算的一半以上。在中国中部湖南省的常德市，2022年的烟草税收占其税收总额的20%。Local tobacco bureaus fight to water down even modest antismoking initiatives.地方烟草局甚至会极力阻挠哪怕最温和的控烟倡议。在慢车车厢的两端，吸烟是被允许的。 Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times酒吧吸烟区里的吸烟者。 Gilles Sabrié for The New York TimesIn Xinyu, a city in Jiangxi Province, the local health commission proposed designating certain public areas as “smoke-free,” according to official documents posted online.根据网上公布的官方文件，在江西省新余市，当地卫健委曾提议将某些公共区域划为“无烟区”。The proposal already excluded restaurants and bars, falling short of World Health Organization recommendations that all indoor public spaces be nonsmoking. But the local tobacco bureau suggested narrowing the definition of smoke-free schools to apply only to elementary and middle schools. After a public uproar, the bureau’s efforts were unsuccessful.该提议已经排除了餐馆和酒吧，未达到世界卫生组织关于所有室内公共场所均应禁烟的建议。但当地烟草局仍建议缩小无烟学校的定义范围，仅使其适用于中小学。在引发公众哗然而遭到反对后，该局的这一企图未能成功。As government efforts have stalled, young people, especially women, have started organizing their own campaigns.随着政府层面的努力停滞不前，年轻人——尤其是女性——开始组织自己的倡议活动。Alva Zhang, a 23-year-old influencer, created a social media account and WeChat groups encouraging followers to confront smokers in public venues and file complaints with authorities.23岁的网红阿尔瓦·张（音）创建了一个社交媒体账号和多个微信群，鼓励粉丝在公共场所劝阻吸烟者，并向当局投诉。“Because there are only some regulations with barely any penalty, I and many others have experienced anger and helplessness,” Ms. Zhang said.“因为只有一些规定，几乎没有处罚措施，我和许多其他人都有过愤怒和无助的感觉，“阿尔瓦·张说。Public support appeared to be growing. A female comedian gained national attention and praise from health agencies after performing a routine that mocked inconsiderate smokers. Hundreds have shared their proposals for stricter smoking rules in China’s government surveys.公众的支持似乎在不断增长。一位女性喜剧演员在表演了一段嘲讽不顾及他人的吸烟者的段子后，获得了全国关注以及卫生机构的赞扬。在中国的政府调查中，已有数百人提出了对制定更严格控烟规则的建议。Early in his tenure, Mr. Xi appeared willing to challenge the tobacco industry.在其任期初期，习近平似乎有意挑战烟草业。After he came to power in 2013, the central government issued a directive forbidding officials to smoke during government activities or in public venues. It called on officials to show “exemplary compliance” with the rules.在他于2013年上台后，中央政府发布了一项指令，禁止官员在政府活动或公共场所吸烟。该指令呼吁官员在遵守规定，“以身作则“。中国的烟草包装上印有简短的警示语以及天安门等国家象征的图片。相比之下，香港烟盒上的图文健康警示占据标签大部分面积。Dr. Yip, the former Gates Foundation official, said the directive most likely had come directly from Mr. Xi and helped accelerate Beijing’s adoption of indoor smoking restrictions, making the capital one of the first major Chinese cities to enact such rules.前盖茨基金会官员叶雷表示，这项指令极有可能直接来自习近平本人，并推动加速了北京市通过室内禁烟限制措施，使首都成为第一批批颁布此类规定的中国大城市之一。Two years later, in 2015, China raised tobacco taxes, pushing cigarette prices up more than 10 percent.两年后的2015年，中国提高了烟草税，促使香烟价格上涨了10%以上。But the push for a national indoor smoking ban lost steam around the same time. It was also the last time Ms. Peng, China’s first lady, publicly championed antismoking efforts, appearing again with Mr. Gates in Seattle to assess research on helping people quit.但大约在同一时期，推动全国范围内实施室内禁烟的势头却有所减弱。那也是中国第一夫人彭丽媛最后一次公开倡导控烟行动，当时她与盖茨再次在西雅图露面，评估关于帮助人们戒烟的研究。Dr. Yip and other experts point to one reason China’s antismoking momentum shifted. Beginning in 2015, China intensified its crackdown on foreign nongovernmental organizations, a major source of funding for antismoking campaigns.叶雷和其他专家指出了中国控烟势头发生转变的一个原因：从2015年开始，中国加大了对外国非政府组织的打击力度，而这些组织正是控烟活动的主要资金来源。Matthew Kohrman, a Stanford University professor who studies smoking in China, said the country’s economic slowdown had most likely driven more people toward nicotine as a “potent mood modulator,” while weak enforcement of smoking restrictions had made cigarettes easier to consume in public.斯坦福大学研究中国吸烟问题的教授马修·科尔曼表示，中国经济放缓极有可能促使更多人将尼古丁作为“强效的情绪调节剂”，同时对吸烟限制措施的执法不力使得人们在公共场合抽烟较为容易。Since the pandemic, the National Health Commission has prioritized disease control over curbing tobacco use. China still officially aims to bring the smoking rate down to 20 percent by 2030 from the current 23 percent.自疫情以来，国家卫生健康委员会已将疾病控制的优先级置于控烟之上。中国官方目前的目标仍然是在2030年将吸烟率从目前的23%降至20%。Wu Xiangtian, an official from the National Health Commission, acknowledged in 2024 how difficult that target would be.国家卫健委的一名官员吴翔天在2024年承认实现该目标非常困难。“To be honest,” he said, “the pressure is immense.”“说实话，“他说，“压力很大。”翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。