Chinese county abandons forced tobacco, liquor sales

A county in central China's Hubei province announced Tuesday that it would annul an official directive which forced townships to sell designated quotas of tobacco and liquor.

The announcement released by Gong'an County Government came after media reports on Tuesday triggered public anger online.

Whistleblowers said township officials and village heads were tasked to sell local cigarettes and liquors, and those who failed to meet the sales target would have their salaries deducted and even their posts removed.

According to the official document released by the tobacco market management leadership team of the Gong'an county, township governments were required to sell a total number of 25,100 boxes of cigarettes in 2013. The document also specified exact quota of each township government.

Similar documents had been enforced for three consecutive years, putting heavy pressure on local officials.