Since establishing diplomatic relations almost a year ago, China and Panama have been strengthening ties. Now, First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela wants to further collaboration with China on areas including AIDS prevention and out discrimination. Our correspondent Patrick Fok had the chance to talk with her during her visit to the country. He starts by asking her about what impact another first lady, Barbara Bush, had on fighting AIDS when she was photographed cradling a baby with HIV at a time when there was little awareness of the disease. Let's listen.

LORENA CASTILLO DE VARELA PANAMA'S FIRST LADY "I think that it's wonderful, what we learned from her. She left an important message for all of the first ladies in the world – that first of all you have to walk the talk, and that your actions are more important than your words, that a single action could be a mark forever, and that single picture, and that single message of her holding the children and holding the patients, it was just remarkable, and still today, 2018, is making a story."

PATRICK FOK PANAMA CITY "According to the UN, Panama has the highest rate of HIV infection in Latin America, what did you learn about the initiatives being undertaken in China during your visit?"

LV: "It is very important to say, thank God we know the numbers now. Before we came to this office, we didn't really know the numbers, because they were hidden, and why they were hidden – because people were afraid of taking the tests, something as easy and as normal as taking an HIV test, nobody was taking them because they were afraid. Can you believe in this time of the world, that people are afraid of being treated differently, being judged, being left aside, being, they were probably left out of their jobs, thrown out of their homes by their families, because of their status with HIV. That is just not acceptable anywhere in the world."

PF: But how do you get beyond the stigma that's attached with the disease?

LV: No one has the right to judge, no one, that your health is above anything, that just a simple test can save your life, that being HIV positive doesn't mean you're going to die anymore. It means you can be treated the right way. Sometimes you just take three pills, and that's it. You can have a normal life, so it is important for people to get the knowledge and the information right of their health.

PF: From your observations and experiences, what do you think China could do to better-prevent the problem of HIV?

LV: Information, definitely information. The more you inform the people the more you make the consciousness around the world, about the illnesses, about the treatments, the rights of the people, it's very important to say that, the rights of the people – you have the right to be tested, freely, with no discrimination, and you have the right to be treated. Those two things will save your life.