Shanghai May Ban Tobacco Company ‘Love China’ Ads, Xinhua Says

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Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Shanghai lawmakers are moving to ban a tobacco company advert that urges people to “Love China,” Xinhua News Agency reported.

Billboards were put up in the city by local cigarette brand Chunghua, which means China in Chinese, the news agency said. The slogan “Ai Wo Chunghua,” or “Love China,” is emblazoned on the bright red posters along with a picture of Beijing’s landmark Tiananmen Gate and a health warning, Xinhua said.

“The slogan ‘Love China’ is good, but when producers put ‘Smoking can damage your health’ beside it, the slogan becomes an advertisement,” Xinhua cited Li Ming, a deputy to the Shanghai People’s Congress, as saying. All advertising related to tobacco or tobacco companies is banned under the law, it said.

The Shanghai Tobacco (Group) Corp., maker of the Chunghua brand, said the slogan promotes patriotism and the boards are therefore a public service, Xinhua said, citing Wu Zhenwei, a congress deputy from the Shanghai Administration of Work Safety.