China will be eliminating its immigration laws that restrict people living with HIV/AIDS from entering the country, say health officials and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (reuters.com, 11/8).

“The new law, which hopefully will be passed in the coming months, will be in line with the global conventions, which recognize that travel restrictions for HIV-positive people do not have any public health value,” said Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund, earlier today.

Today also marked the signing of a $5.8 million Global Fund grant aimed at strengthening AIDS prevention efforts in China, where about 650,000 people are currently living with the virus. More than half of these reported cases have been among commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men.