In The News

US Drops Censure of China on Human Rights

Edward Alden April 11, 2003
The US has decided not to offer a resolution condemning human rights violations in China for the first time in ten years. Two weeks earlier the annual State Department report said China’s record remained poor throughout the year, though it suggested a marginal improvement in some areas. One China expert claims that US is rewarding China for taking a backseat role in opposing the war in Iraq,...

A Beijing Doctor Questions Data on Illness

Elisabeth Rosenthal April 10, 2003
Beijing is lying about number of cases, retired military doctor says.

N Korea Quits Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Andrew Ward April 10, 2003
North Korea withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty on April 10, as it had announced it would three months earlier. The US wanted the UN Security Council to condemn the act, but was blocked by China and Russia who argued such condemnation would only increase tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea had let it be known that it would consider any condemnation as a “prelude to war.”...

In Chinese Village, Few Clues to Illness

John Pomfret April 9, 2003
WHO researchers hoping to find the causes of SARS were disappointed when they searched an unimposing village in southern China, the purported epicenter of the mysterious disease. Many scientists suspected that SARS could be a case of a new animal virus affecting humans, but the village was no longer agricultural and few animals were found there. As scientists continue their searches, improved...

Lessons from SARS

Christine Loh April 9, 2003
Although Hong Kong enjoys one of Asia's best public health systems, the spread of SARS has shown that even its well-run government has room for improvement. The former British colony's re-integration with China in 1997 has led to a booming expansion of trade and people flows across the border with southern China, but at the cost of increased vulnerability to epidemics such as SARS. To...

Virus sows seeds of regional mistrust- Thai Prime Minister

April 9, 2003
According to Thailand’s Prime Minister, the spread of SARS is undermining regional cooperation in South East Asia due to the mistrust between different nations in the region. SARS has adversely affected the tourism industry in Thailand. Taiwan has protested its inclusion, by Japan, Thailand and China, as a SARS affected State. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has criticized China for...

Kedah to Boost Fish Exports Via Genetics Project

Leslie Lau April 8, 2003
The world's fish market is huge, and Malaysia aims to take a piece of the profit pie. Working together with the World Fish Centre, the government in Kuala Lumpur is closely controlling breeding practices to boost its commercial production of the tilapia fish. The Malaysian project might match the 85% size increase recently achieved in the Philippines, but it will need to emphasize taste to...