The meeting is the latest indication that China wants to seriously address the AIDS problem which the United Nations said could lead to 20 million people infected by 2010 if immediate measures are not taken.

Wu requested Gao, who has been harassed for years by provincial officials, meet her at her hotel during Wu's visit to central Henan province in December to tour "AIDS villages" devastated by an outbreak caused by farmers selling blood in government-sponsored schemes that were unsafe.

Henan officials, including Vice Governor Wang Jumei, were ordered out of the room, Gao said.

"Only Wu Yi, me and Wu Yi's two aides were in the room. Wu Yi told me 'There's no one from the province here. You can say whatever you want,'" Gao said.

Wu asked about and listened to Gao's views on how to help the estimated hundreds of villages where large portions of farmers were infected with HIV after selling blood in schemes begun in the mid-1980s to raise money for the province, which resold the blood to companies.

Gao said she told Wu the government should put priority on finding adoptive families for the thousands of children orphaned since adults began dying of AIDS a few years ago.

It was better to let families that want to adopt raise the children than leave them in poorly run orphanages or in villages with minimal help from extended relatives, some of whom also suffer from HIV/AIDS and have tried to sell young girls into marriage, Gao said.

Gao also urged Wu to crackdown on the growing problem of scam artists trying to sell fake medicine to AIDS patients.

She declined to say whether the breakthough meeting will make a difference in how China addresses AIDS.

"I hope the government will truthfully deal with the problem," said Gao.

"I don't know if it will help. The Henan officials who ran the blood-selling schemes are still in power. None have been punished and some have been promoted."

Henan officials have refused to help sufferers, despite Chinese and international media starting to report on the outbreak in 2000.

They have focused on stopping attempts by farmers seeking help by beating and detaining them and threatening those who go to Beijing.

Local authorities continue to chase journalists and volunteers, including Gao, from villages.

But Gao said her meeting with Wu may at the minimum make local authorities more cautious about harassing her.

They have forbidden her from travelling overseas to receive international awards for her efforts in educating farmers about AIDS and donating money and giving care to sufferers.

Henan reports that 11,844 people have been confirmed HIV-positive in the province, although activists and experts say it could be as high as one million.

TERRA.WIRE