Britain's Princess Anne on Thursday visited east China's Anhui Province, and inspected the work of the Save the Children Fund (SCF).

Princess Anne, head of the UK-based institution, hopes the SCF can expand its influence in China and further promote children's interests in China, including their educational needs, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

On her first tour of Anhui, Princess Anne was introduced to several SCF projects, and spoke with HIV/AIDS prevention volunteers.

In a meeting with the Princess, Governor of Anhui Province Wang Jinshan voiced his appreciation for her support of the children's welfare project in Anhui. There are 69 children's welfare institutes in Anhui which serve more than 5,000 children, among whom more than 3,000 are disabled.

Princess Anne said she hoped that experimental SCF projects in Anhui would spread throughout the whole province.

The SCF, founded in 1919, is one of the leading international charity organizations for children in the world. It is aimed at realizing children's rights, and has carried out projects in over 120 countries. The SCF has cooperated with over 20 cities and regions in China so far.

Princess Anne flew to Lanzhou, capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, on Thursday afternoon for an inspection tour of education and medical projects supported by the British government through the Department of International Development.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2005)