These trends — fueled by China Tobacco — come against the backdrop of a long-term decline in cigarette sales globally. While Beijing has made commitments to curb smoking prevalence, it hasn't appeared to have materially impacted tobacco sales. In the case of China Tobacco, industry and government policy directly overlap. "China Tobacco has been exploiting this insider status and wielding its influence within the government to effectively block the adoption of tobacco control policies," he added. China Tobacco and its Hong Kong-based subsidiary China Tobacco International (HK) did not respond to an inquiry from CNBC.

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Persons: Euromonitor, hasn't, Philip Morris, Gan Quan, Quan, STMA, Judith Mackay Organizations: Getty, China National Tobacco Corporation, China Tobacco, Retail, World Health Organization, State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, Philip Morris International, World, Tobacco Control, CNBC, Vital, Tobacco, Bath University, Asian Consultancy, China Tobacco International, HK, Global Locations: Shanghai, China, Euromonitor, Beijing, Hong Kong