BEIJING - China is moving in the right direction in the fight against HIV/ AIDS, a top U.N. official said on Friday, but needs more education to combat discrimination and stigma, particularly in the nation's vast interior.

Students at a primary school in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, display their hand-made red ribbons "an international symbol of AIDS awareness" yesterday on the eve of World AIDS Day. China had 650,000 HIV carriers, including 75,000 AIDS patients at the end of last year, according to the government estimates. [China Daily]

U.N. China Resident Coordinator Khalid Malik said there was "great unevenness" in the supply of health care and tools in the fight against AIDS at regional level.

"There is no longer a big challenge at the central government level in China. The challenge is now firmly in the provinces," Khalid said.

"Overcoming stigma and discrimination is really what we need to concentrate on."

On Thursday, Vice Minister of Health Wang Longde told Reuters that the Communist Party should educate its cadres to combat prejudices that are still engrained in the lower ranks.

"I think we need to open the leadership's minds, especially at the lower levels," said Wang.

The Health Ministry said last week that the reported number of Chinese HIV/AIDS cases at the end of October was 183,733, up from 144,089 at the end of 2005, but both Beijing and the United Nations estimate the true number of cases at about 650,000.

China has offered free anti-retroviral drug treatment to registered HIV/AIDS patients, but fear of discrimination prevents many from coming forward.

Malik said that the reported number of cases was the "tip of the iceberg" and that more "behavior" education was required to overcome people's fear and ignorance about HIV/AIDS.

"Asian societies are reluctant to talk about sex ... Silence does kill, so we need to talk about it a lot more," he said.

After initially being slow to acknowledge the threat, Beijing has stepped up the fight against HIV/AIDS in recent years, increasing spending on prevention programs and implementing anti-discrimination legislation.

As part of efforts to spread awareness on World Aids Day, China has agreed to allow state television to air "A Closer Walk," an acclaimed foreign documentary on AIDS, this weekend.

About 5,000 Beijing cab drivers will distribute HIV/AIDS pamphlets to their customers in the first 10 days of December, state media reported.