What China’s expanded funding for HIV/Aids in Africa means as US cuts health aid

China is expanding its role in the fight against HIV/Aids in Africa by funding new projects and backing local medicine manufacturing as part of its signature health initiative, the Health Silk Road.Pepfar was a major bilateral American initiative providing life-saving antiretroviral treatment and healthcare support for millions of people in developing countries.Instead, Washington has signed bilateral health agreements with some African countries, though a few such as Zambia and Zimbabwe declined to sign the deals over worries about data sovereignty and sensitive health information sharing.Following a recent trip to China, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima revealed that China’s Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund was backing HIV prevention projects in Lesotho, Africa" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="534" data-entity-type="location">South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.Winnie Byanyima, executive director of the joint United Nations programme on HIV/Aids, has praised China for its contributions to health issues in Africa. Photo: XinhuaSouth Africa, which has about eight million people living with HIV, received a US$3.49 million Chinese grant last year to fund prevention programmes targeting more than 50,000 young people and harm-reduction services for people who inject drugs.