BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke are important risk factors for coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease, experts said on the World No Tobacco Day which falls on Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco claims more than 7 million lives worldwide every year and plays a part in 12 percent of all cardiovascular disease deaths.

"Quitting smoking can repair existing damage to the body to a certain extent," said Wang Fang, deputy director of the cardiovascular medicine department of Beijing Hospital.

According the Tobacco Control Office of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stopping smoking can lower the risk of heart diseases. If a person quits smoking for five to 15 years, the person's risk of suffering a stroke will be reduced to that of a non-smoker.

During the 13th Five-Year period (2016-2020), the government will build an environment free from tobacco and strengthen services to prevent and control passive smoking.

Tobacco users should be fewer than a quarter of the total population aged 15 and above.