BEIJING - The Chinese government will devote more efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and in researching AIDS vaccines and medicines, Vice Premier Li Keqiang said Monday.

"Although China has made great progress in HIV/AIDS control, the country still faces a tough situation," said Li, while visiting the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) in Beijing prior to World AIDS Day which falls on December 1.

The government at all levels should realize the urgency and importance of the work and adopt more effective measures to control the spread of AIDS, he added.

"We should also realize that it will be a long campaign to control AIDS," Li said.

The government plans to provide more support for the research and development of AIDS vaccines and medicine, he said.

"We are glad to learn that progress has been made in the research of AIDS vaccines and hope there will be a breakthrough in clinical trials of vaccines, early diagnosis of HIV, and AIDS medicine," he said.

Li said the government will continue its policies to provide free medical treatment for HIV-positive patients who are not covered by state medical insurance, free HIV tests and counseling for patients, as well as free delivery and mother-to-child transmission prevention programs for HIV-positive mothers.

The authorities should also improve assistance for AIDS patients and children with HIV-positive parents, he said.

China is estimated to have about 740,000 HIV-positive citizens and about 100,000 AIDS patients among its 1.3 billion people.