Unwanted side effects
Unwanted side effects: Masked Chinese medical workers use thermal-imaging thermometers last week to check travellers' temperatures at Beijing Capital International Airport. China has enhanced health checks involving travellers since Chinese officials last week confirmed a new case of SARS in South China's Guangdong Province.

Koreans bring JV hospital to China
Several years ago, Taiwan business tycoon Wang Yongqing's attempt to put as much as US$436 million to build three large private hospitals on the mainland met a premature end, partly because of local concerns that the heavy investment could affect local medical institutions' survival and development.

SARS news disappoints drugmakers?
China's first SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) patient since last June has fully recovered, which is good news for the public, but maybe disappointing news for the country's pharmaceutical firms.

EVD: Next big home-viewing revolution?
China, the world's largest manufacturer of digital versatile disc (DVD) players, has launched a new format to end its dependence on foreign technologies, but insiders question whether the so-called enhanced versatile disc (EVD) players will be financially viable and/or accepted globally.

Do-it-yourself tours popular among China's nouveau riche
Xiao Ling, who works for a foreign company, has been thinking about where to spend the winter holiday during the Spring Festival and, after searching the Internet, has opted for Lijiang in Yunnan Province.

P&G, Yue-Sai deny merger pending
US-based Procter & Gamble (P&G) reportedly will merge with Yue-Sai, a famous Chinese firm, in a move many analysts expect will spur a new round of mergers and acquisition in China's cosmetics sector.

PR power emerges from alliance
Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, one of the world's top public relations (PR) firms, announced last week it formed a strategic alliance with Pegasus Communications, a fast-growing, Beijing-based PR agency.