China, a country with 840,000 HIV carriers, began its first human trials of a new AIDS vaccine Saturday, said an expert with the disease prevention and control center of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

A 20-year old man became the first volunteer to receive the AIDS vaccinotherapy. He was followed by seven others, four of them women. They all signed waivers and received physical check-up.

Chen Jie, vice director of the center, said 49 volunteers between 18 and 50 will receive the tests. The clinical research has three phases, he said, the first lasting 14 months. The second phase will test the immune nature and safety of the vaccine.

The State Food and Drug Administration approved the first clinical phase research of the new AIDS vaccine on Nov. 25, 2004.

There have been about 35 AIDS vaccine trials on humans throughout the world, most of which are still at the first phase.