(RAO AIMIN)

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits a woman with AIDS in a hospital in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on World AIDS Day on December 1.

The premier said the Chinese Government attached great importance to HIV/AIDS control in regions inhabited by ethnic minorities and in less developed areas.

AIDS control methods, including prevention and treatment, should be incorporated into efforts to boost economic and social development, poverty reduction and anti-drug campaigns, he said.

The State Council, China's cabinet, said on November 29 the country would step up its HIV/AIDS control efforts, including launching more intervention programs targeting high-risk populations and adding more HIV/AIDS medicines to basic medical insurance.