BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- A survey conducted by the Chinese Association of Tobacco Control revealed the numbers of young smokers and female smokers are increasing in China.

    The survey was conducted among Beijing middle school students who smoke and the result was released on Thursday, reported the China Daily. About 1,000 children were tracked through primary andmiddle schools in 20 communities.

    "The actual figure is far more than 27 percent in our school," said Ma Wei, when bringing out a pack of "555" brand cigarettes and a lighter out of his Adidas shorts and lighting up.

    "Almost all my classmates smoke cigarettes, both girls and boys," said Ma, an 18-year-old half-pack-a-day smoker who will apply to college next year.

    Overall, seven percent of all youth aged 6 to 18 smoke, the survey found. The figure is 10.2 percent amongst boys and 1.8 percent amongst girls.

    And it's not just children who are getting hooked. Xu Guihua, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Tobacco Control, saidthere's also a noticeable rise in the number of women who smoke despite a slight down-turn amongst adults overall.

    On Thursday, the association also launched a commission in Beijing to help young people stop smoking.

    The commission will try to build up a tobacco control alliance,train volunteers, promote non-smoking on campus and facilitate a "say 'no' to the first cigarette" campaign.

    China, home to one-fourth of the world's smokers, is the world's largest producer and consumer of tobacco.

    The survey estimated the country has 320 million smokers, about36 percent of the population.

    Research shows high pressure, heart disease and diabetes, whichoften trouble adults, are now turning up more often in young people, said Hu Yamei, a medical consultant with the association.

    The government has been working on a nationwide smoking prevention and intervention programme, and the country is approaching the ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

    WHO figures show tobacco kills almost 5 million people worldwide each year. If current trends continue, it is projected to kill 10 million people a year by 2020, with 70 percent of the deaths occurring in developing countries. Enditem