Over the past decade, infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, have been recognized by the international community as a threat to the security of individual states and regions. On 17 July 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1308 which stressed “that the HIV/AIDS pandemic, if unchecked, may pose a risk to stability and security.” Some experts warn that China is on the verge of an AIDS "catastrophe" and could face 20 million HIV sufferers by the year 2010 unless effective interventions are carried out.

In this context, China AIDS Survey aims to provide historical and analytical resources for relevant HIV/AIDS stakeholders, including educational and advocacy groups, government and civil society actors, and policy / media organizations, a diverse database dedicated to the AIDS crisis in China. China AIDS Survey consists of:

• concise overviews of the main issues concerning HIV/AIDS in China,
   
• annotated chronologies charting the course of the AIDS epidemic in China over a span of 20 years,
   
• a glossary of over 200 AIDS-related terms and phrases in Chinese (characters and pinyin) and English, and
   
• a collection official statements and other relevant documents on HIV/AIDS in China and as a non-traditional security issue.

Since the launch of Deng Xiaoping’s "Four Modernizations" campaign in 1979, China has become an important member of the global community, emerged as the center of the Asia-Pacific region and enjoys the world’s fastest growing economy. The exponential expansion in Chinese trade has been paralleled by a huge increase in the influx of business travelers and tourists into and from China. These external trends have been mirrored by an increased freedom of movement within China itself. This increased regional role coupled with the its growing global contacts makes understanding and preventing the spread of emerging infectious diseases in China, particularly HIV/AIDS, a strategic imperative for the nations around the world.

Edmund Settle (司马杰), the founder of China AIDS Survey, currently is working as a Research Associate at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and the Program Coordinator for the China HIV/AIDS Information Network (CHAIN) in Beijing, China. He received his Masters of Arts in International Policy Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey, California. In addition to the AIDS issue in China, he also researched China's involvement in multilateral institutions, specifically China's decision to form the Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO); China's emerging civil society; and AIDS as a non-traditional security threat.  Edmund obtained a certificate in Public Administration focusing on program creation and evaluation, and multicultural organizations.

Edmund received his Bachelor's of Arts in Modern Chinese History with departmental honors, distinction from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He lived in China for three years where he taught comparative history, academic writing, and critical reading at Beijing's Normal University (BNU) and Hebei University of Science and Technology (HEBUST) in Shijiazhuang. He also completed a six month internship at the Chinese Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) in Beijing.  He calls Shijiazhuang his 中国老家, Chinese hometown, loves Chongqing hotpot and has traveled extensively throughout southwest and western China.

If you have any questions or comments please contact:

Edmund Settle, MA
Research Associate/Program Coordinator
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
China HIV/AIDS Information Network (CHAIN)
Anhuaxili, Block 1, Building 12, Room 437
Beijing, China    100011

Tel: (+86-10) 8422-7774  ext.437
Fax: (+86-10) 6426-8457
Mobile: 13683063244

esettle@gmail.com