Former US president Clinton praises anti-AIDS efforts in southwest China

Former US president Bill Clinton visited southwest China's Yunnan Province Thursday night to highlight the progresses made by the HIV/AIDS treatment programs sponsored by the Clinton Foundation.

The three-year cooperative programs were launched on June 20 this year, with the signing of a memorandum of Understanding between Yunnan and the Clinton Foundation.

The programs aim to deliver high-quality care and treatment for HIV/AIDS patients in areas like Dali, Gejiu, Kaiyuan and Lincang.

The registered HIV/AIDS cases in Yunnan reached 28,391 in 2004, according to statistics from the local government.

Clinton visited local hospitals and HIV/AIDS treatment centers in Kunming, capital of Yunnan, and joined the patients for dinner.

"These projects are going on very well, I think you just need to extend it, keep serving for more people," Clinton said while talking to medical staff at local hospitals in cooperation with the Clinton Foundation.

Since 2004, the Clinton Foundation has been providing financial and technical support for a series of HIV/AIDS treatment programs in Yunnan.

Source: Xinhua