SARS Crisis

[News] [Papers]

President's Approval Rating Drops to 27%, Survey Reveals
(AP, June 10, 2003) The Taiwanese leader's approval rating sank to a new low of 27 percent, and 48 percent of those polled were dissatisfied with the president's handling of the SARS outbreak.

SARS Impact on China a Temporary Shock: World Bank
(AFP, June 6, 2003) SARS will have a temporary impact on China, but it is unclear whether the handling by the authorities of the epidemic would affect investment decisions in the long term.

China Gets Defensive on SARS Record
(WP, May 31, 2003) In a significant shift of tone, the Chinese government dismissed criticism that it was slow to respond to the SARS crisis, denying it tried to hide the outbreak.

China and Tawian in Spat over Sars
(Financial Times, May 25, 2003) Taiwan has declined an offer by China to help the island in its fight against Sars - out of concern Beijing would use this to back its claim of sovereignty over the island.

Taiwan Frustrated by Beijing's WHA Blocks
(China Post, May 25, 2003) Taiwan's fight against "health apartheid" has been further frustrated by Beijing, who has succeeded in blocking the island's latest efforts at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

Some Say China's Response to SARS Has Been Too Heavy-Handed
(NYT, May 23, 2003) Some scholars and media commentators say SARS did more to expose the weaknesses of China's political culture than its strengths.

WHO Assembly Again Rejects Taiwan Bid for Observer Status
(FT, May 20, 2003)  Taiwan's bid to secure observer status at the World Health Organisation, given increased impetus this year by the island's devastating Sars outbreak, was again rejected by the WHO.

Taiwan a SARS 'Loophole'
(CNN.com, May 20, 2003) As Taiwan struggles to contain the SARS virus sweeping across the land, officials say the fact the island is not a member of the World Health Organization has made their task harder.

SARS Furor Heightens Taiwan-China Rift
(NYT, May 19, 2003) As a fight shapes up this coming week in Geneva over whether the SARS epidemic will help win Taiwan a spot in the World Health Organization, officials here are getting more strident.

MAC Survey Shows Support for Restrictions
(Taipei Times, May 18, 2003) The poll also gauged public opinion on China-bound investment and revealed that most people want restrictions to be imposed on capital flight.

US to Support Taiwan's Bid for WHO Observer Status
(AFP, May 17, 2003) The United States will speak up next week in favor of Taiwan's bid for observer status at the World Health Organisation's annual world health assembly, an official said.

SARS Stops `Small Three Links' for a Month in Kinmen
(TT, May 17, 2003) The Mainland Affairs Council moved to temporarily suspend the "small three links" in response to Kinmen residents' growing concern over the spread of SARS.

Chen Calls on PRC to Act with Sincerity
(Taiwan News, May 16, 2003) President Chen Shui-bian declared that the only and best way China can prove its sincerity to help Taiwan is to cease opposition to the country's entry into the World Health Organization.

Taiwan Braces for Long Battle with Sars
(Financial Times, May 16, 2003) Taiwanese officials and medical experts expect Sars to return periodically even if the current epidemic is brought under control.

Beijing Fights Taiwan WHO Entry
(CNN.com, May 14, 2003) Beijing has raised strong objections to international support for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization as an observer.

Taiwanese President Suggests Hospital Covered Up Disease
(WP, May 13, 2003) President Chen Shui-bian said that a municipal hospital linked to as many as two-thirds of Taiwan's SARS cases may have tried to cover up the outbreak.

Sars Protests Hit China
(Financial Times, May 12, 2003) Chinese police have detained the alleged ringleaders of a rowdy protest by more than 300 people in the northern city of Tianjin after a demonstration by those fearing Sars.

Taiwan Military Chem-weapons Unit Exposed in SARS Fight
(AFP, May 11, 2003) A mysterious military unit involved in Taiwan's research of biochemical warfare has come to light following President Chen Shui-bian's orders that it devote itself to battling SARS.

Taiwan Cites SARS in Bid to Join WHO
(WP, May 10, 2003) The Taiwanese government is using its efforts to contain the disease as a way to argue that it should be part of the WHO.

Angry Chinese Riot over SARS
(CNN.com, May 6, 2003) Riots have broken out in eastern China over the quarantine of suspected SARS cases, in one of the most violent protests to hit China since the outbreak became headline news.

Taiwan Says WHO Membership Vital to SARS Battle
(Reuters, May 6, 2003) Taiwan said its exclusion from the WHO is a gaping hole in the global campaign to combat the flu-like SARS virus.

Beijing to Allow WHO to Send Team to Taiwan
(WP, May 4, 2003) China agreed to allow the World Health Organization to send a team to Taiwan to investigate the island's worsening SARS situation.

China's Economy to Grow Rapidly Despite SARS
(People’s Daily, May 1, 2003) China's economy will still grow by 7.3 percent this year and 7.6 percent next year despite the impact of SARS, according to an Asian Development Bank report.

SARS Inciting 'Mass Panic' In Beijing
(WP, May 1, 2003) The SARS epidemic in Beijing is causing "mass panic," and efforts to fight it are plagued by a lack of hospital beds and trained health professionals, the city's new acting mayor said.

Taiwan Gets Tough on Visitors
(CNN.com, Apr. 28, 2003) Authorities in Taiwan have announced that all mainland-Chinese and Hong Kong travelers arriving on the self-ruled island must be put on a 10-day quarantine.

Sars Sends Asian Economies into Downward Spiral
(FT, Apr. 27, 2003) The OECD warned this week that the overall economic fallout for the worst affected Asian countries could be significant.

Taiwan Economy Struggles with Sisease
(Bloomberg News, Apr. 25, 2003) Taiwan's benchmark stock index posted its biggest drop in almost nine months after the government reported the island's largest one-day rise in atypical pneumonia cases.

MAC to Attempt to Cut Down on Cross-Strait Travel
(Taipei Times, Apr. 24, 2003) In the face of the threat of SARS, the Mainland Affairs Council can only attempt to decrease cross-strait traffic, since it is impossible to completely bar all travelers from China.

Senator Lauds China's Turnabout on SARS
(WP, Apr. 24, 2003) Chinese President Hu Jintao told a delegation of U.S. senators the situation was a "disaster for the people of China and all of mankind."

China Economy to Slow as SARS Hits
(Reuters, Apr. 21, 2003) China's admission that the SARS virus is far more widespread than previously acknowledged is taking the shine off an economy that has been the envy of the region.

In China's Capital, 'We're Panicking'
(WP, Apr. 18, 2003) There were moments when this city of 13 million people appeared deserted. Suddenly, China's capital is confronting the reality of the SARS virus .

SARS Does Little to Slow China's Growth By Chris Buckley
(New York Times, July 11, 2003) Surging exports and industrial production last month showed that China's economy was still bounding ahead, apparently little damaged by the SARS epidemic.

Political Maneuvering over SARS Causes Renewed Diplomatic Fighting By Philippe Paquet (Taipei Journal, June 27, 2003) Relations between Beijing and Taipei will suffer again, whereas, paradoxically, health should be the one issue on which collaboration between the two governments is possible.

China's Leaders Step Up to Challenge of SARS, But Will It Last?
(AFP, June 17, 2003) After a rocky start China's new leaders responded decisively and dynamically to control SARS, but analysts are unsure whether the crisis will be a catalyst for a more modern style of government.

SARS-Weary Beijing Looking to New Issues By Francesco Sisci
(Asia Times, June 10, 2003) In this time of waning SARS cases, Chinese President Hu Jintao is being simultaneously pulled in several directions as issues unrelated to the illness are re-emerging in China's political landscape.

Three Approaches to Three Crises By Nat Bellocchi
(Taipei Times, June 3, 2003) A sudden national crisis can make or break a political leader. Chinese President Hu Jintao has China's system to give him control of party and media. President Chen Shui-bian has had to struggle with both.

SARS Ebbs in East Asia, but Financial Recovery Is Slow By Keith Bradsher
(New York Times, May 31, 2003) While SARS infections have ebbed across East Asia, the economic consequences will continue to be felt for months to come, according to business executives and economists.

Taiwan and the SARS Blame Game By Michael Taylor
(Asia Times, May 30, 2003) SARS and the government's (mis)management of the outbreak now appear likely to be a major political issue with implications for next year's presidential election.

A Positive SARS Side-Effect By Antoaneta Bezlova
(Asia Times, May 27, 2003) China's tardy tackling of the epidemic might have a positive side-effect - and force its leaders to confront the country's lopsided reforms in public health.

The Politics of SARS
(Editorial, China Post, May 25, 2003) In Taiwan, anything can be politicized. This includes SARS. While it is true that SARS originates from mainland China, it is not true to say that Taiwan's outbreak is the result of cross-strait interchanges.

SARS: Taiwan Thinks the Unthinkable By Michael Taylor
(Asia Times, May 20, 2003) SARS has highlighted many of Taiwan's trends and characteristics, and perhaps chief among these from an economic standpoint is the nation's interdependence with China.

Hu Uses SARS to Tighten Grip By Willy Lam
(CNN.com, May 20, 2003) There is more evidence that Chinese President Hu Jintao is moving fast to establish his authority through burnishing his liberal credentials.

What's Needed: Leadership
(Editorial, China Post, May 20, 2003) President Chen must assert his much wanted leadership, before it is too late, to achieve a national unity of purpose in Taiwan's anti-SARS war.

Diagnosing SARS in China
(Editorial, New York Times, May 19, 2003) China's ossified political system is out of sync with China's globalized, market-driven economy. It is also directly responsible for Beijing's initial response to SARS.

Hu Tightens Grip with Anti-SARS Campaign By Benjamin Lim
(Reuters, May 19, 2003) Seizing opportunity from crisis over the SARS epidemic, Chinese President Hu Jintao is emerging from his first real test as the nation's new leader with a surer grip on power.

Here's How a Tiny Virus Can Help Improve Cross-Strait Ties By Alastair Iain Johnston
(Straits Times, May 17, 2003) Beijing now sees Taiwan's participation in the WHO as a zero-sum issue. But with a little creative thinking, the standoff could be changed into a win-win outcome.

Can China's System Cope with Openness? By Ching Cheong
(Straits Times, May 17, 2003) Commentators tripping over each other to depict the Sars outbreak as China's Chernobyl may be indulging in wishful thinking.

Give Taiwan WHO Status By Eugene Chien
(International Herald Tribune, May 16, 2003) Taiwan's participation would close a major gap in the WHO's defenses against diseases. We call on the international community to recognize that this can only benefit the health of all.

Building New Chinese Walls By Ben Dolven and David Murphy
(Far Eastern Economic Review, May 22, 2003) Cities, towns and villages are taking the battle against Sars into their own hands.

SARS Only a Temporary Setback to China's Economy: Economists
(Agence France Presse, May 14, 2003) SARS may have brought whole sectors of China's booming economy to a grinding halt but analysts predict that the impact will be temporary and not jeopardise its long-term growth.

Party Bickering Hampers SARS Fight By Willy Lam
(CNN.com, May 13, 2003) "China is publicizing only half the SARS figures because just half the Politburo is fighting the epidemic," so goes a saying in Beijing's political circles.

SARS Shakes Complacent Mood of China By Erik Eckholm
(New York Times, May 13, 2003) The SARS epidemic and its obvious mishandling have badly humbled China's leaders at home and abroad, and jolted the society in many ways.

SARS Crisis a Jolt for China's Body Politic By Mark Harrison
(Canberra Times, May 12, 2003) The way the SARS crisis has exposed the failings of authoritarianism and the need for open and disinterested public administration has been interpreted as a possible catalyst for political reform in China.

China Points Finger at U.S. for SARS
(Editorial, Taiwan News, May 11, 2003) An article appearing in the May 6 edition of the Hong Kong newspaper Wenweipo speculates that SARS actually originated in the United States.

China Showing Signs of Long-Awaited Change By Benjamin Lim
(Reuters, May 10, 2003) Analysts see a change of heart in the Beijing leadership over the SARS crisis and a submarine disaster.

Help Taiwan Fight SARS By Chen Shui-bian
(Washington Post, May 9, 2003) The WHO's decision to send these experts to Taiwan has great significance. It demonstrates that Taiwan is indispensable to international public health. But it also suggests that cooperation between the WHO and Taiwan should not be left to ad hoc arrangements.

A Shift in China's Leadership Style? By Joshua Eisnman
(Straits Times, May 8, 2003) China's disjointed system of power distribution and transition - where the new leader must co-exist with his predecessor - leaves the country open to confusion during a crisis.

China's Poor Left Behind By Joshua Muldavin
(International Herald Tribune, May 8, 2003) The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome to China's hinterlands is a human-made disaster.

Beijing Leaders Fighting for Credit Over Opening Up
(Editorial, China Post, May 7, 2003) Never before has the mainland public's yearning for political reform and opening up drawn greater support, in words and deeds, from top leaders in Beijing than it is now.

China 's Health Care Disaster By David M. Lampton
(Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2003) If both Chinese and foreign observers become obsessed with the politics of the recent SARS cover-up, they will lose sight of the underlying causes of China 's health-care system train wreck.

Threat to China's Social Stability By Ching Cheong
(Straits Times, May 6, 2003) Fuelled by sensationalist reporting in the media, panic is sweeping the nation's poorer, less-educated rural regions.

Is China Opening Up or Closing? By Orville Schell
(Taipei Times, May 06, 2003) China's response to the SARS suggests an almost automatic defensiveness when the outside world seems to impinge on it or threaten it in some potentially harmful or embarrassing way.

China & SARS: Unhealthy Politics By Roderick Macfarquhar
(Newsweek, May 12, 2003) China’s SARS epidemic has its Communist Party leaders on their heels. Worse is the image of China’s leaders behaving in feckless fashion, putting politics before people.

When Crises Strike, China's Leaders Adapt to Survive By Joseph Kahn
(New York Times, May 4, 2003) Despite commentary to the contrary, SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, does not look as if it will become China's Chernobyl.

Dear Beijing, Don't Block Taipei - For Global Health's Sake By Tom Plate
(Straits Times, May 3, 2003) What is now paramount for world health, obviously, is universality of participation in all global health efforts. It's patently clear that Taiwan should be admitted to the WHO.

China's Economy: Can It Muscle Through SARS?
(Far Eastern Economic Review, May 18, 2003) For all the panic that Sars has generated, it hasn't fundamentally undermined China's economy. If the government can still get a grip on the disease, the long-term disruption won't be large.

China Feels Side Effects From SARS By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, May 2, 2003) The mishandling of the SARS crisis is feeding tentative calls for political reform in China and has exacerbated a broad power struggle among current and former Communist leaders.

Panic Outbreak Won't Stop Trade By John Berthelsen
(Asia Times, May 1, 2003) Investors appear to have attached an incredibly high risk premium to this event, compared with mainland military exercises over the Taiwan Strait or the collapse of financial markets in 1997.

Why Taiwan Deserves A Place in Bangkok Today By Ho Khai Leong
(Straits Times, Apr. 29, 2003) Asian policy-makers need to rethink this strategy of exclusion, and recognise the importance of concerted effort from everyone in the region.

Turning A Crisis into An Opportunity By Willy Lam
(CNN.com, Apr. 29, 2003) The new president could yet turn the crisis caused by the pneumonia outbreak into an opportunity by getting rid of more bad apples among cadres.

Outbreak of Disease Forces Steep Plunge in Chinese Economy By Keith Bradsher
(New York Times, Apr. 28, 2003) The outbreak of a new respiratory disease has inflicted the greatest blow to the Chinese, causing a plunge in retail sales, a slump in demand for some Chinese exports and a near-collapse in domestic and foreign tourism.

SARS tests Communist rule in China By Wei Jingsheng
(International Herald Tribune, Apr. 28, 2003) More than a shame, it would be an historic mistake to pass up this opportunity to make China's leaders accountable to their own people and to the world at large.

China's Crisis Has A Political Edge By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, Apr. 27, 2003) Central government officials said they received more cooperation from the province of Guangdong, which for decades has had a reputation for unruliness.

China: SARS Spurs Structural Reform By Francesco Sisci
(Asia Times, Apr. 27, 2003) SARS will not and could not be China's Chernobyl. But it is already triggering a complex process of structural reforms that will go in the direction of more internal democratization and greater power given to the party and state organization.

Just How Badly Will China's Economy Get Hit? By Chua Chin Hon
(Straits Times, Apr. 26, 2003) China's economy could bleed billions of dollars and grow at its lowest rate in 12 years because of the Sars outbreak - or emerge relatively unscathed and still beat the official forecast of 7 per cent.

Red Faced: China's U-Turn On Sars Endangers Hu And The Party By Susan V. Lawrence
(Far Eastern Economic Review, May 1, 2003) To limit political damage from the Sars scandal, China's leaders had to publicly recognize political accountability and the people's right to know. But the tension between their promises and reality is showing as the toll grows.

Help China Heal And We Are Healed By Chang Kuo-Cheng
(Taipei Times, Apr. 25, 2003) Just as President Chen Shui-bian said, providing humanitarian care and assistance to the other is the best way to ensure Taiwan's interests and safety.

Sars and China
(Editorial, Straits Times, Apr. 24, 2003) The campaign to overcome Sars, in Singapore as elsewhere in South-east Asia, cannot be considered won until China manages to bring the outbreak under control.

Lessons from China's SARS Debacle By Willy Lam
(CNN.com, Apr. 24, 2003) Despite last Sunday's sacking of two ministerial-level cadres for covering up the pneumonia epidemic, the Hu Jintao leadership needs to do a lot more to promote the culture of truth-telling and full disclosure.

SARS CRISIS: Don't Rule Out Linkages To China's Biowarfare By Richard Fisher
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Apr. 22, 2003) There are compelling reasons, however unsettling, to at least ask whether there might be any linkage between SARS and China's biological warfare efforts.

Epidemic Is a 'Test' For China's Leadership By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, Apr. 22, 2003) With the removal of two senior officials for mishandling the SARS epidemic, China's new government has broken with past practice.

China Will Pay Dearly for the SARS Debacle By Bates Gill
(International Herald Tribune, Apr. 22, 2003) Beijing's evasive and tardy response to the challenge of the SARS virus reflects very poorly on China's international standing, undermines its economic prospects and bodes ill for combating other infectious diseases.

China's Bureaucracy: A Virus's Best Friend By Francesco Sisci
(Asia Times, Apr. 22, 2003) Beijing's evolving attitude toward SARS is a prime example of the flaws in the Chinese political system.

China's Political About-Turn on Openness Comes Under Scrutiny
(Financial Times, Apr. 22, 2003) When China's premier promised the nation in his inaugural news conference in March that despite his mild manners he was a man who "dared to take responsibility", he cannot have expected that his mettle would be tested so soon.

Leadership: How to Fail The People By Susan V. Lawrence
(Far Eastern Economic Review, Apr. 24, 2003) The new leaders promised better, but did worse than their elders in their first big crisis. In this fiasco, the economy and the well-being of foreigners seem more important than public health.

China's Deadliest Plague: Authoritarianism By Mark Clifford
(Business Weeks, Apr. 18, 2003) Beijing's ham-fisted handling of the SARS crisis demonstrates why democratic reform is a matter of life and death.