BEIJING, Oct 6 (AFP) - China unveiled plans Friday to adopt tough legal measures to curb a surging AIDS epidemic amid continuing debate on whether to hand out free condoms to people at risk.

At a recent symposium, officials from the health ministry clamoured for "tough and effective legislation" to halt the spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the China Daily reported Friday.

Health officials estimate there are 500,000 HIV carriers in China, with that figure expected to double within a decade, prompting health authorities to demand "appropriate" measures to tackle the problem.

While the authorities have been slow in coming forward with any cogent regulations, according to the China Daily, many of those attending the symposium demanded severe measures be taken against HIV-positive people "who intentionally infect others."

Meanwhile, experts said it would be difficult to hand out free condoms or teach sexual education to students and prostitutes, in a bid to stem the AIDS tide.

"Many people are simply not ready to accept such measures, nor would they accept the distribution of condoms in hotels and universities," said Chen Boazhen, director of the infectious disease prevention office at the ministry of health.

It is extremely difficult to obtain public information about sexually-transmitted diseases in China as sex remains a largely taboo subject.

HIV-infected people are often discriminated against in a country where the majority of the population continues to ignore the disease.

At the end of last year, the authorities banned all ads for condoms, after showing its first ad promoting condoms. "That goes against all our customs and ethics," it said.

According to official statistics, there were only 17,316 HIV-positive people in China at the end of last year, 647 cases of full-blown AIDS and 356 deaths from the disease.

But the Chinese authorities themselves admit these figures are well under-estimated.

China ranks fourth among Asian countries in its number of HIV-positive people, following India, Thailand and Myanmar. It ranks 17th in the world.

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