China has a growing number of HIV-infected persons. The vast majority are intravenous drug users from Yunnan Province near the Golden Triangle region; infection also exists among prostitutes and homosexuals. Legislation is one method used to address the problem. These laws are designed to deter prostitution and drug abuse as well as prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The law allows detention for medical observation of those persons suspected of coming into the country with a communicable disease. Although law has a role in combatting the spread of AIDS, treatment and rehabilitation is at the heart of the effort to prevent HIV transmission through intravenous drug use, prostitution, and homosexuality. The Chinese have traditionally relied upon education and informal social control to mold and correct behaviors, and the same approach is emphasized in countering the AIDS epidemic. Other countries would do well to emulate the Chinese strategy for combatting AIDS; e.g., AIDS education for jail and prison inmates, done within appropriate constitutional bounds, is a logical policy choice for nations that face escalating rates of HIV infection. 1 table, 11 notes, and 13 references