Health minister Aaron
Motsoaledi, Chinese
ambassador Wu Peng
and other officials in
Pretoria this week to
launch the $3.49 million
fund. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
Following the cutting of UNAIDS funding by the United States government earlier this year, the Chinese government has provided $3.49 million to expand HIV prevention services in South Africa.
The two-year project, which will commence in January 2026, aims to strengthen HIV prevention and harm-reduction services in South Africa by expanding access to HIV prevention programmes for adolescents and young people in 16 Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges located in high-burden districts across seven provinces.
UNAIDS will implement the project in collaboration with the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges; the Departments of Health, Higher Education and Training, and Correctional Services; the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; WHO; and Higher Health
In January, the US government slashed all foreign assistance.
According to the Department of Health’s Consolidated Impact Assessment report, the three provinces most affected by the cuts to HIV and TB prevention services are the Western Cape, North West and Gauteng.
The closure of key population clinics disrupted access to routine services, including PrEP, and clients had to be referred to public health facilities.
The DREAMS programme and other services for adolescents and young people have also been affected, including mobile outreach services in high-transmission areas.
The sudden aid cut had an immediate impact on the delivery of life-saving HIV medicines and the provision of HIV prevention services to millions of people.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch at the Chinese Embassy on Thursday, Chinese ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng told Mail & Guardian that the funding to South Africa was not intended to serve any political agenda, emphasising that the initiative aims to help citizens.
“We do not need to introduce our own agenda or any geopolitical interest in this kind of project. We hope this project will help South Africa. We are making this donation for the South African people. We do not have our own agenda because it is related to people’s lives and human rights,” he said.
Speaking to M&G at the event, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi declined to answer whether the initiative signalled that the South African government would no longer rely on or appeal to the United States for assistance.
“You are touching on the issue of the Department of International Relations now. I’m sure you are aware that I’m just a health worker; I don’t determine our foreign policies. You are asking me a very difficult question, which I decline to answer because I don’t want to cross the line,” he said.
He added that since the US announced its funding cuts, the government has been engaging with many funders in numerous countries, and that every contribution from anywhere in the world matters in the fight against HIV.
Motsoaledi said South Africa spends over R46 billion annually in response to HIV and AIDS.
“Every contribution is significant. We are receiving a lot of assistance from many partners, and it helps us. We appreciate this because fighting this disease requires collective action from everybody around the globe,” he said. “Remember, this virus knows no borders. A virus is an infectious agent, and they don’t recognise borders or need passports; they move everywhere. Helping a country that has a huge burden is not an act of charity—it is an act of collaboration to ensure we bring an end to the disease.”
Executive Director of UNAIDS and United Nations Under-Secretary-General Winnie Byanyima said every contribution to the fight against AIDS counts, noting that while some countries have reduced funding to developing nations, others are stepping up.
Byanyima said it is only through global efforts that the world can end AIDS.
“We also need to be clear that South Africa funds 83% of its own response through taxpayers, and only 17% comes from donor support. South Africans also contribute to the global response; they fund global research, so the country gives back globally and receives only a small portion of support for its own response,” she said.