China and
Australia on Thursday agreed to extend two cooperation projects on
HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental rehabilitation.
Under the agreement signed by Vice Minister Yi Xiaozhun for
China's Ministry of Commerce and Australian Ambassador to China
Alan Thomas, the Australian government will provide China with 2.85
million Australian dollars (US$2.15 million) in aid.
Of the total, 2.2 million Australian dollars will go to the Asia
Regional HIV/AIDS Project and will be used to reduce HIV infection
caused by contaminated needle use in southwest China's Yunnan
Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The remaining 650,000 Australian dollars will finance the Alxa
League Environmental Rehabilitation and Management Project in north
China's Inner Mongolia, which started in June 2001 and has already
been given 10.35 million Australian dollars in aid.
Both sides also agreed to extend the two projects for one more
year. The two projects were funded by the Australian government's
overseas aid program through Australian Development Aid.
(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2006)