No cigarette billboard will be erected at the circuit of Chinese Grand Prix of the Formula One motor racing at Shanghai, said the State General Administration of Sport (SGAS) on Thursday.

No labels relevant to cigarette will be seen in VIP rooms at the circuit as well, the SGAS said in a response to a proposal setforth by Prof. Fang Jiqian, from Zhongshan Medical Sciences University in south China's Guangdong province and also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Fang submitted the proposal against tobacco advertisement in motor racing to the CPPCC National Committee some time earlier.

The source said the Chinese side of the Grand Prix organizing committee reached agreement after hard negotiation with the foreign partner.

The F1 race, which is sponsored mainly by tobacco companies, isscheduled to be held for the first time in China at the Shanghai International Circuit (SIC) from Sept. 24 to 26.

China's oil giant Sinopec has replaced Marlboro to brand the Grand Prix, the SGAS source added.

Cigarette advertising is banned by Chinese laws and the countryis a signatory of the World Health Organization's Convention on Tobacco Control.

Source: Xinhua