Starting Friday, vendors in the Chinese capital of Beijing will be prohibited from selling alcohol to minors. Those who are caught will face a maximum fine of 2,000 yuan, or about US$256.

The Beijing municipal government is distributing bilingual signs to alcohol vendors with the words "Prohibited to Sell Alcohol to Minors" on them, the China News Service reports.

The new regulation stipulates minors under the age of 18 are not allowed to buy drinks with alcohol content exceeding five percent, including beer, liquor and wine.

More than 200,000 vending venues in Beijing that sell alcohol are obliged to display the signs on the conditon that customers can spot them easily by the first half of next year.

The report quoted officials as saying the sales of alcohol to minors in Beijing has been common despite repeated efforts to root out the practice.

Alcohol consumption has led some middle school students in Beijing to take part in brawls, or even commit crimes, in addition to having a detrimental effect on their studies.

(CRI December 9, 2006)