Condoms appear on Chinese TV

Condoms have made a rare appearance on Chinese state television as part of an official campaign to highlight the dangers of Aids.

The 30-second film, broadcast across China, showed a young couple, with a voiceover explaining the importance of safe sex.

It was prepared for World Aids Day on 1 December, according to state media.

China faces a growing Aids problem, but has been cautious about officially promoting contraception.

Growing problem

The BBC Beijing correspondent says the Chinese authorities have generally seen HIV-Aids as a problem for specific groups of people - such as intravenous drug users - and not for society in general.

AIDS IN CHINA Living with Aids in China

A short film encouraging the use of condoms was aired on state television in late 1999, also to mark World Aids Day, but was withdrawn several days later.

The disease is estimated to have increased by 30% a year in China since 1998, with more than 800,000 infected with HIV.

The United Nations warns China's Aids cases could rise to 20 million by 2010.

In another unusual move, a senior Chinese health official on Tuesday warned people to refrain from sex outside marriage and to avoid casual sex, to try to reduce the incidence of Aids.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines capital, Manila, the World Health Organisation has opened a conference on Aids in Asia.

WHO Western Pacific regional chief Shigeru Omi has called for Aids patients to help those who have recently contracted the disease.