BEIJING, Dec 7 (AFP) - The head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria praised China Tuesday for its efforts in addressing HIV/AIDS, but warned that any letup could prove catastrophic.
"We have seen an impressive turnaround in China over the past year," the Fund's executive director Richard Feachem said here.
"China has realised that widespread epidemics, such as HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, pose a serious threat against economic development, poverty reduction and a stable society."
He pointed to China moving to put anti-discrimination laws into practice and initiating prevention activities in the fight against AIDS.
But he cautioned of "an urgent need" to ensure political commitment at all levels, to increase HIV testing and to improve planning or face disastrous consequences.
"It would be fantastic if China could show the world how to contain the epidemic," he said. "However should we fail, the consequences would not only be catastrophic for China -- they would be felt all over the world."
While China's AIDS crisis was sparked by illegal blood sales in the 1980s and 1990s, the problem areas now were also related to intravenous drug use and unsafe sex, he said.
China estimates it has 840,000 HIV/AIDS sufferers although international AIDS experts say the actual number is much higher.
Premier Wen Jiabao admitted last week China faces a "stark situation" in tackling the epidemic and called for greater efforts in creating public awareness and fighting the disease.
China for years denied AIDS was an issue and only started seriously addressing the problem in the past two years.
Since it was created in January 2002 by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to help poor nations reduce deaths, the Global Fund has committed about three billion dollars in two-year grants to 128 countries.
It has so far given 113 million dollars to China to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Feachem said that if the grants show agreed results in their first two years, another 160 million dollars would be made available.
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