Home>>Business
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, May 15, 2003

Combating SARS Requires Combined Efforts

Asian countries should strengthen cooperation in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) and for economic development.


PRINT DISCUSSION CHINESE SEND TO FRIEND


Asian countries should strengthen cooperation in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) and for economic development.

Experts at the on-going forum on "SARS and Asia's Economy -- Impacts and Policy Recommendations", jointly sponsored by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), agreed that joint efforts were required.

The forum, held in Beijing at a critical time during the SARS outbreak, invited nearly 100 experts, diplomats, entrepreneurs, government officials and representatives with international organizations, for in-depth discussions on the impact of SARS on the Asian economy and appropriate counter-measures.

BFA Secretary-General Long Yongtu said the fight against SARS was in the common interests of all Asian countries.

"People in similar circumstances help each other and try to overcome the difficulty in concert," Long said.

At the special meeting on SARS held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok last month, in which China also participated, leaders all expressed determination to defeat SARS, Long said. They vowed to improve regional and international exchanges of information, policy and experience, according to Long.

Asian countries had achieved considerable progress in fighting against SARS, which was attributable to the unswerving confidence of the leaders and the measures they had adopted, he said.

Ifzal Ali, chief economist of the ADB, said that given the global implications of contagious diseases, governments needed to intensify cooperation and coordination. As well as coming up with common responses to diseases that have already struck such as SARS,there was a particular need for developed countries and more advanced developing countries to devote funds to collaborative anticipatory or proactive research on combating such diseases.

"Much effort is also needed to develop effective policy measures and institutional capacity for preventing, reporting, monitoring and containing all contagious diseases," he added.

He said SARS presented a challenge for regional cooperation andit was important that governments of China and ASEAN countries, by convening a leaders' meeting in Bangkok, demonstrated a proactive and collective effort in strengthening regional cooperation to combat SARS. Additional cooperation would be required.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Ong Keng Yong said SARS had brought ASEAN member countries closer and made them more resolute in their efforts to intensify regional and international cooperation and to help every ASEAN member country cope with the situation.

Singaporean Ambassador to China, Chin Siat Yoon, said SARS had no boundaries, so regional cooperation should play a significant role. A cooperative framework should be established to continue regional cooperation in economic, commercial, tourist, trading, commodities circulation and other fields.

Experts urge SARS relief for small and medium-sized firms
Small and medium-sized enterprises need urgent help to survive the on-going SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis, said experts at the forum "SARS and Asia's Economy: Impacts and Policy Recommendations" in Bejing Wednesday.

Small and medium-sized enterprises, due to their relatively small funds, were most vulnerable to the SARS crisis and most likely to go bankrupt without timely help, experts said.

The danger of spreading the SARS virus in rural areas would increase if workers from rural areas had to return to their hometowns due to the loss of jobs, Tang Min, chief economist of the Asian Development Bank in China. said, adding that the problemwas also faced by other nations and regions in Asia.

Wu Yibing, managing partner of Beijing Mckinsey & Company, suggested commercial banks should offer relief loans to small and medium-sized enterprises, as owners of these enterprises mainly belonged to the newly emerged entrepreneur class and were relatively vulnerable to crises.

Small and medium-sized enterprises were major employers of low-income earners in many countries, so the impact of SARS on them and their employees was especially serious, said Ifzal Ali, chief economist of Asian Development Bank.

Tang called for organizations at all levels to share the losses of small and medium-sized enterprises with the government, suggesting the government reduce fees and taxes, local governmentsconsider the enduring ability of the enterprise when taking anti-SARS measures and banks provide policy loans to some seriously-hit but promising enterprises.

He also called for the enterprises to seek for new opportunities and explore new markets and actively cooperate with departments concerned.


Questions?Comments? Click here
    Advanced






SARS Impact on China's Economy Looms

SARS Poses Test for Chinese Economy

Experts Warn Against SARS' Psychological Impact on Asian Economy





>> Full Coverage

 


Chinese Premier on Importance, Difficulty of SARS Control in Rural Areas ( 16 Messages)

US Asks UN to Approve Iraq Occupation ( 26 Messages)

Wu Yi on Value of Traditional Medicine in SARS Treatment ( 12 Messages)

"Shenzhou V" Spacecraft to be Launched as Scheduled ( 10 Messages)

April to Turn round Unfavorable Balance in Trade ( 2 Messages)



Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved