Philip P. Pan

About the author: Philip P. Pan is a foreign correspondent in China for The Washington Post.

The Chinese government's position is that AIDS is a problem to be handled only by the government. As a result, individuals with AIDS who are desperate to get help, and grass-roots organizations that may want to address the AIDS issue are discouraged from speaking out about the disease. Generally, the Chinese government does not allow people with AIDS to be seen on television or to be interviewed by the media because if reporters were allowed to interview those with AIDS, the Chinese government's response to AIDS, which took several years, might be criticized. Furthermore, the public might complain about the poor condition of the Chinese health care...