Smoking-related cancer deaths will increase by 50%.
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences expect that deaths from smoking- related cancers in China will rise by 50% over the next 20 years.
The Academy published a report in the Tobacco Journal, which predicts that 8.6 million people in the Asian country will die from smoking- related cancers before 2040, and that the death rate will increase by 53 percent among women and 44 percent among men.
Almost half of Chinese men and 2% of women smoke, with a total of 300 million smokers.
The researchers pointed to the Chinese authorities' plans to reduce the number of smokers from 26.6% currently to 20% by 2030, in order to avoid the death of 1. 4 million people before 2040.
Despite the slight decrease in the number of smokers in China, scientists believe that this percentage is " not enough" to achieve the specified goal.
