Week of February 14, 2003

The U.S. and China This Week

DOMESTIC: Sickness outbreak in Guangdong brought under control

The mysterious illness that has sickened over 300 people and caused the death of five in southern China has been, according to government sources, brought under control. The epidemic, which has been attributed to a form of pneumonia, continues to have local residents worried. Xinhua News Agency has also cautioned against children or the elderly spending too much time in crowded areas.

The illness, which was confined primarily to Guangdong province, is still being investigated by national health department officials. Additional supplies of medicine have also been transported to the region in an effort to control the spread of the disease. Southern China has been the source of variant strains of flu-like and viral diseases, the most recent being the Hong Kong "bird-flu," which killed six in 1997.

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DOMESTIC: China continues plan for manned-space flight

Despite safety concerns generated by the recent Columbia shuttle tragedy, officials in China have said that they will continue with plans to launch a manned-space flight sometime this year. According to officials, as China has no technical links to the U.S. space program, safety concerns in the U.S. have no bearing on the schedule of China's manned flight.

Should the launch continue as scheduled, it would put China among the elite club of countries whohave achieved manned-space flight. Only the United States and the former Soviet Union have successfully launched such flights. China has already successfully launched four unmanned vehicles.

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The U.S. and China This Week

Last updated: 17 January 2001