China's Vice Health Minister Wang Longde said yesterday in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, that China is to issue regulations on AIDS prevention and control at the end of this year.
The regulations have been drafted by the Ministry of Health, Wang said at an international symposium on official development assistance for population and development.
"The ministry is lending ears to all walks of life including the HIV infected, looking for room to improve the regulations," Wang said.
He said the regulations aimed to protect the legal rights of the HIV infected and AIDS patients.
Any irresponsible government official who does little to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS will be punished according to the regulations, he added.
China will also report new figures reflecting the current situation of HIV/AIDS in the country around December 1, World AIDS Day.
Wang said China is making efforts to enact laws to eliminate discrimination against patients of all infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
By the end of 2006, Chinese officials above the county level must attend courses on AIDS prevention and control so as to guide the public in combating AIDS-related discrimination.
Wang said that China's 2005 financial input in the fight against HIV/AIDS will be no less than last year's 830 million yuan (US$103.75 million) and the figure is expected to be higher next year.
He said the figure only represents the central government's share without adding local governments' investment and international organizations' assistance.
China reported more than 120,000 HIV cases and nearly 30,000 AIDS patients as of June, with over 7,000 of them dead.