Chinese newspaper rejects AIDS Healthcare Foundation ad exposing China's misuse of Global Fund

The China Daily newspaper, the largest English language news portal in China, has refused to publish an advocacy advertisement created by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, that targets China for its misuse of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria.

The AHF says that, over the last eight years, China - now the world’s second-largest economy - has received nearly $1 billion from the Global Fund ($940 million), yet has contributed just $16 million in the same period. Starting the week of World AIDS Day (December 1) and continuing over the past several weeks, advocates from AHF have spearheaded a number of protests and actions around the world targeting China over its dealings with Global Fund. The rejected ad, headlined, “China, Pay Your Fair Share on Global AIDS!” was to have run in the print edition of the China Daily this week. The ad was to be another component in the ongoing AHF-led campaign highlighting China’s continued misuse of the Global Fund.

The Global Fund is a program funded by the wealthy nations that is designed to provide financial assistance to developing countries that lack the resources to fight diseases and build up medical infrastructures. During the same years that China has been contributing little while taking nearly $1 billion from the Fund, the USA has contributed $5.1 billion to the Fund - more than 28% of all contributions - while Japan has given $1.3 billion and France $2.2 billion.