The first recorded case of HIV in China occurred in 1985. Today, an estimated 740,000 citizens are infected, according to the "Joint Assessment of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care," published by the State Council's AIDS Working Committee Office and the U.N. Theme Group on HIV/AIDS in China.

C-MAP is led by two co-national directors and has project offices in Beijing, Sichuan Province and Liangshan Prefecture. The project is focused on six goals:

• Raising awareness and reducing discrimination among target populations through training and education
• Deploying comprehensive, integrated, risk-reduction approaches to reduce HIV transmission among high-risk populations
• Establishing a service network to provide consecutive treatment, care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS
• Providing support to orphans and families affected by HIV to alleviate negative social and economic impacts
• Building capacity of healthcare workers and organizations, and developing new anti-HIV strategies and techniques
• Strengthening HIV surveillance, monitoring and evaluation systems and data management and analysis to track program implementation, assess program outcomes, and identify and apply best practices in a timely manner.
• C-MAP collaborates with approximately 11,500 people working in 1,600 implementing organizations, including departments within the government of China, medical and health institutions, civil societies, international organizations, grassroots healthcare workers and beneficiary groups.

The Merck Company Foundation has committed $30 million to support the partnership over five years. The government of China, through the leadership of the Ministry of Health, is providing staff, facilities and equipment.