Although the gallant efforts of various individuals undoubtedly occurred behind closed doors for many years during China's growing HIV epidemic, official and visible government response was essentially delayed until the late 1990s. In January 1997, the Chinese government announced that it would take positive steps to keep HIV infections below 1.5 million by 2010 (3). In November 2001, an unprecedented international meeting on HIV/AIDS was held in Beijing, combining the talent of over 2700 health care experts (22) . Two important AIDS symposiums were also held in Beijing in November 2003, where guest speaker Bill Clinton warned that HIV might hinder China's continued economic progress (9) . However, it was the unprecedented and highly symbolic handshake between Premier Wen Jiabao and an AIDS patient in late 2003 that reverberated strongly across the country (10). On World AIDS Day, December 1, virtually every major media outlet published the handshake photo acknowledging this formerly taboo subject. Premier Wen even told the AIDS patients: 'You must have confidence. All of society cares about you' (5) . In a country steeped in tradition and heavily influenced by symbolism, the message was clear. It was also the first time a high ranking official from the ruling party finally confronted the type of discrimination that HIV positive Chinese are burdened with on a daily basis (10) .