As China prepares to complete its leadership transition with the handover of the presidency in March, activists are seeing positive signs about government HIV/AIDS policy, with incoming Premier Li Keqiang prominently endorsing grassroots treatment efforts. In an email interview, Jia Ping, the founder and chief executive officer of the China Global Fund Watch Initiative, discussed China’s HIV/AIDS policies.
WPR: How have China's efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS evolved in recent years?
Jia Ping: China has made some progress but not enough. The government has begun to pay attention to marginalized groups. The number of nongovernmental organizations is increasing; there is an active gay community; and there are widespread blood-testing programs as well as needle-exchange and methadone-substitute programs for the intravenous drug user community.