Catherine Sozi, UNAIDS Country Director for China, awards the certificate of appointment to actor Huang Xiaoming at the UNAIDS office in Beijing on Nov 28, 2016. [Photo by Wang Xiaodong/China Daily]

"I am honored by this appointment as UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador to China," Huang said. "I am glad that I can play at a least a small part in helping to intensify efforts on HIV prevention. My hope is young people understand the need to take proper measures to protect not only their own health but the health of the people they love."

Huang began his acting career in 1998 as the star of the television drama, Love is not a Game. He rose to prominence for playing the lead role in the TV series on the Han emperor. He has also starred in numerous movies that have been box office hits in China.

Huang's humanitarian work has included donating funds to support post-disaster reconstruction following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province and adopting the twin pandas, Pingping and An’an, that were born and rescued after the quake.

There were 654,000 people living with HIV in China by end of September 2016, according to UNAIDS. Young people are particularly vulnerable to HIV.

Thirteen young people ages 15-24 are infected with HIV every hour in Asia and the Pacific. In China, 7.1% of people living with HIV are young people, UNAIDS said.