BEIJING - Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang visited HIV/AIDS medical personnel, volunteers of non-government organizations (NGOs), and people living with HIV ahead of the World AIDS Day which falls on Dec 1.

In the voluntary testing clinic of the Beijing Diseases Prevention and Control Center (CDC), Li said counseling and testing are crucial to the early detection and early treatment of HIV/AIDS, and encouraged the clinic staff to work hard on the very front-line of HIV prevention and control.

While visiting NGOs situated in the Beijing CDC, Li greeted people living with HIV and volunteers, shaking hands with them. He recognized the role of NGOs in keeping the disease at bay, particularly in terms of HIV/AIDS awareness education and intervention.

Li said HIV prevention and control is a systemic project that takes the entire society to carry out, calling for establishing a mechanism to involve "social forces" into HIV prevention and control.

Li asked health authorities at all levels to keep close contact with HIV-related NGOs, providing assistance needed to these organizations and their volunteers.

"Care, respect and assistance are the best pain relievers for people living with HIV," Li said, calling upon the entire society to pay greater attention and care to this group of people.