Wu Chongqi, vice president of the China Hygiene Law Society, called on the Chinese government to accelerate the pace of formulating a law on AIDS control on Tuesday.

Building a complete legal system is the key to controlling and preventing AIDS in China, Wu said at a symposium of the 22nd Congress on Law of World held Beijing.

China, the most populous country in the world, bears more responsibilities than many other countries in preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS, Wu said.

Since mid-1990s, China has worked out over 300 laws and adopted a series of economic, legal and administrative measures to support the campaign against the fatal disease, in a bid to create a better legal environment for the campaign.

A draft of HIV/AIDS prevention and control regulation, drawn up by China's State Council, is being circulated to solicit opinions. It outlines the principles, strategies and responsibilities of government agencies in a legal framework.

In fighting against HIV/AIDS from the legal perspective, Wu said that legislation concerning AIDS prevention and control should seek a balance between protection of personal rights and maintenance of public health safety, instead of targeting at the endemic itself.

In June, legal and health experts and government officials had a heated debate in Shanghai on four drafts of HIV/AIDS prevention and control regulations.

They held different views on whether the regulations should place the emphasis on protecting HIV-infected people's rights or on AIDS prevention and control work; whether HIV-positive people should bear the obligation to tell their spouses or sex partners they are infected; and whether it is necessary to carry out compulsory HIV testing.

China's legislation should focus on ensuring AIDS patients and HIV-positive people do not experience discrimination, he said.

"If the law only says how to manage these people without protecting them, it will be very counterproductive for checking the spread of the disease," Wu said.

Source: Xinhua