China reported about 429,000 registered AIDS patients and HIV carriers as of the end of September, up by nearly 60,000 over the past 11 months, according to official figures released Monday.

It is his image as an anti-AIDS figurehead that is the most impressive. In 2000, Pu Cunxin didn't hesitate to accept an appointment by the Health Ministry as a spokesman.[Photo/CFP]

Chen Zhu, China's Minister of Health, revealed at a conference jointly held by the Ministry and the UNAIDS's Theme Group in China that since the 1980s, the country had seen over 164,000 registered AIDS patients and 86,000 recorded deaths attributable to the disease.

Although growth in the registered HIV/AIDS population has declined in recent years, previous research also indicated a large group not covered in the official count.

A joint research project conducted in 2009 by the ministry, the UNAIDS and the World Health Organization estimated the total to be 740,000 as of the end of that year.

With more HIV carriers turning into AIDS patients and more deaths reported, the spread of the disease will project a growing influence on the social and economical development of affected regions, Chen said.