This research is about a concrete theme in the general field of international relations(IR) and co-operation within the domain of political science. It will investigate the EU and China's co-operation and communication in the dramatic area of AIDS. Given the narrow score of this case study, it will mainly research the EU's rationale, performance and future perspectives in assisting China to combat AIDS. As the research title "the role of the European Union in combating AIDS in China" indicates that we are trying to answer with our concrete research the essential question of highlighting "whether or not the EU makes a meaningful contribution to combating AIDS in China". In order to answer this question, an organic framework is presented in the thesis, following this "hierarchic" associated questionnaire: 1. What is AIDS? Why should we care about AIDS? How serious is the AIDS situation in China, and what's the effect it has to the world? 2. IR theories applied to the case of AIDS suggested that fighting against AIDS is a global public commitment which is beneficial to everyone on earth, however there is no ready-made way to provide this global public good, and the most effective(maybe not the best) way so far is international co-operation. AIDS in China will have serious effects on the EU and the whole world, the EU has both obligations and motives to help fight against AIDS in China. 3. What did the EU actually do, and how well did she do, especially compared with other organizations and states? In this research, amply of information and sources are given to answer and explain the first two pillars of the framework, which is in order to better address the third pillar. By analyzing official reports both from the EU and China, and studying other secondary information from other scholars, we have an ironic result from the facts: Even if all the theories and facts point out that the EU should assist China in combating AIDS for her own interest, she didn't make a meaningful contribution in this field. This research accordingly proposes two suggestions for both sides to extend and intensify their co-operation. One, the EU and China can procure AIDS medicines together through the government procurement mechanism to bring down the price of the medicines for their AIDS patients. Two, the EU and China's media can exchange programs or materials, to promote and AIDS aware in Chinese people who live in EU with native language, and vis-à-vis. However the fruits of this research go beyond the ironic fact or the suggestions. It implies that global players on world stage are not necessarily as predictable and rational as we think, and this will help understand many other phenomena in the domain of IR and world politics. Summarizing the sequence of chapters, the researches mobilized for this thesis are organized as follows: CHAPTER 1-GENERAL INTRODUCTION gives a general statement of the problem area to be investigated, gives a precise statement of the research question, provides the research objective and delineates the scope of the research. Literature reviewed and methodology employed is also described. CHAPTER 2-BACKGROUND INFORMATION offers basic and essential knowledge about AIDS at the first place for better understanding the whole research. Also the AIDS situation in China and its impact on the world is introduced for better understanding the international co-operation in AIDS. CHAPTER 3-THEORY ORIENTATION discusses the application of international relations(IR) theories. The author will lead the readers along with the logic line and see how IR theories, especially the global public goods theory build the framework for EU-China co-operation in combating AIDS. CHAPTER 4-ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION will analyze and interpret primary and secondary documents concerning EU-China's co-operational projects. A debate will be made concerning findings from the materials. Based on the discussion, the author's idea about the research question will be presented. CHAPTER 5-SUGGESTIONS sits on the shoulders of both the existing works about international co-operation practices against AIDS and EU-China's previous and existing co-operation in AIDS, and gives out practical and maybe innovative suggestions on extending and intensifying future co-operation between China and EU in combating AIDS. Finally, the CHAPTER 6-GENERAL CONCLUSIONS concludes how the whole research is being carried out. Results presented, by addressing how they add to the current knowledge. Implication from the research presented, while suggesting future research which can not be accommodated within this research.