China and Australia on Thursday agreed to extend two cooperation projects on HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental rehabilitation.

 

Under the agreement signed by Vice Minister Yi Xiaozhun for China's Ministry of Commerce and Australian Ambassador to China Alan Thomas, the Australian government will provide China with 2.85 million Australian dollars (US$2.15 million) in aid.

 

Of the total, 2.2 million Australian dollars will go to the Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Project and will be used to reduce HIV infection caused by contaminated needle use in southwest China's Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

 

The remaining 650,000 Australian dollars will finance the Alxa League Environmental Rehabilitation and Management Project in north China's Inner Mongolia, which started in June 2001 and has already been given 10.35 million Australian dollars in aid.

 

Both sides also agreed to extend the two projects for one more year. The two projects were funded by the Australian government's overseas aid program through Australian Development Aid.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2006)