REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- Cigarette sales in China fell slightly over the past year after a hike in tobacco taxes, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday, as the country works to suppress a habit with major healthcare costs.

The world's largest producer and consumer of cigarettes has stepped up its battle on smoking, despite persistent opposition from the tobacco industry.

China has 300 million smokers and 740 million more who are exposed to secondhand smoke, state media have said.

The number of cigarettes sold in China fell 3.3 percent in the year to March 2016 from the previous year, the WHO said in a statement.