Nov. 1, 2011

China reported about 429,000 registered AIDS patients and HIV carriers as of the end of September, up by nearly 60,000 over the past 11 months, according to official figures released on Oct. 31, 2011.

Chen Zhu, China's Minister of Health, revealed at a conference jointly held by the Ministry and the UNAIDS's Theme Group in China that since the 1980s, the country had seen over 164,000 registered AIDS patients and 86,000 recorded deaths attributable to the disease.

Although growth in the registered HIV/AIDS population has declined in recent years, previous research also indicated a large group not covered in the official count.

A joint research project conducted in 2009 by the ministry, the UNAIDS and the World Health Organization estimated the total to be 740,000 as of the end of that year.

With more HIV carriers turning into AIDS patients and more deaths reported, the spread of the disease will project a growing influence on the social and economical development of affected regions, Chen said.
Nov. 9-Nov. 10, 2011

The Third Work Experience Exchange Meeting of Human Rights Research Institutions was held in Chengdu on Nov. 9 in 2011. Luo Haocai, head of China's Human Rights Research Society said that China has achieved much progress in human rights institution construction and theories, and human rights education and training system has been established basically in universities in China.

Luo said about 50 human rights bases were established in universities and research institutions in China. Three universities are currently approved to engage in human rights training and education. They are Nankai university in Tianjin, China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing and Guangzhou University in Guangdong province.
Nov. 10-Nov. 11, 2011

The Third Forum on the Development of Tibet of China opened in Athens on Nov. 10, 2011 to further introduce Tibet to the world.
 
The forum was jointly sponsored by China's State Council Information Office, the Chinese embassy in Greece and the Hellenic-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries to enhance the world's understanding of Tibet and strengthen international co-operation on the development of Tibet.
 
Over 200 government officials and scholars, as well as business and media representatives from Greece, China and other countries attended the forum.
 
Topics of the two-day event included Tibet's economic-social development, cultural heritage, environmental protection, technology, education, tourism development and foreign investment opportunities.

The Third Forum on the Development of Tibet concluded on Nov. 11, 2011 in the Greek capital with a consensus saying the recent changes in the autonomous region produced good results and with an appeal for the international community to contribute to the region's future.