A project promoting venereal diseases and AIDS prevention and treatment between China and Britain was launched recently in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The project is the largest bilateral cooperation project China has ever conducted in this regard.

The project will assist Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in preventing and treating venereal diseases and AIDS in the next five years. Britain has provided 15.3 million pounds for the project.

More than 400,000 HIV cases have been reported in 31 Chinese provinces and autonomous regions. The number of venereal disease patients in Sichuan alone total 48,000 now.

The project will help Chinese medical departments enhance supervision and control on venereal diseases and AIDS and help prevent the growth of the diseases, said Wu Yiqun, an official in charge of the project.

(Xinhua 12/29/2000)