Disparity, HIV/AIDS prevalence, birth defects and gender inequity remain four key areas for China in promoting child development despite progress made in the past few years, said a Chinese official Wednesday.

Zhang Liming, head of the Chinese delegation attending the ongoing 7th East Asia and Pacific Ministerial Consultation on Children (7th Mincon), said that China has prioritized child development and effectively promoted child survival, protection and development.

China has given increasing financial support to education, HIV/AIDS prevention, health, especially to the poor children and their families, she said, who is also deputy director of the Office of the National Working Committee for Children and Women under the State Council, China's cabinet.

Statistics from the committee show that since 2003, HIV/AIDS-infected in China can get free anti-virus drugs and free anonymous testing and AIDS orphans are privileged to free tuition fee.

The Chinese government has also increased its investment in education in poverty-stricken areas to about 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) a year to renovate dilapidated buildings and build up boarding schools in less-developed central and western regions.

But as a developing country with 367 million young people below18 years old, China still faces many challenges ahead in dealing with the child issue, said Zhang.

Child development in western China still lags far behind other regions, she said.

Figures from the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) indicate that most of the 29 million poverty-stricken rural population lives in western China, where maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate are 5.8 and 4.4 times higher than those in the eastern region.

HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment remain an arduous task, she said, noting that the number of HIV/AIDS-infected in China is around 840,000 and is still growing.

Birth defects of some 800,000 to one million babies a year and discrimination against girls as well as violation of child rights at times such as trafficking are also a noting issue, she said.

China will continue to prioritize child development by focusing on healthcare, education, legal protection and environment and improve social security for vulnerable children, she said.

"We will pay more attention to rescuing and caring for street/homeless children, poor ones, orphans and the disabled by giving them a better environment for survival and growth."

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2005)