SARS and China

Mitchell Koss, a producer for Channel One News visited Guandong province of China a week back, and this is what he had to say

“Fear Goes Global”:http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/suncommentary/la-op-koss27apr27,1,6786247.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dsuncomment
bq. But with our face masks and Hong Kong license plate, we were scaring some of them. Some people covered their mouths and turned their faces as they walked past us. The government media evidently hadn’t told them much about SARS in Guangdong, but they knew about the disease in Hong Kong.
The people of Guangdong did not know about SARS in their region! And look at the wonders it is doing to the Chinese economy, their achilles heel.
“Outbreak of Disease Forces Steep Plunge in Chinese Economy”:http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=308273
bq. “The economy has come to a standstill,” said Andy Xie, an economist with Morgan Stanley, adding that if China does not get the epidemic under control soon, “it’s going to be very, very difficult and we cannot underestimate the downside risk.”
and guess who is making the most of it at China’s expense
“India eyes SARS-hit China?s exports”:http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=308238
bq. ?Indian exporters have a good chance of grabbing the buyers of the Chinese goods. We are presently busy contacting buyers in Latin America and Europe,? said Rajinder Jindal, president of the EEAI. S.K. Rai, MD of Hero Cycles said, ?This is the right time for us to grab maximum exports. Buyers located in Germany, Italy and the US are being contacted.
Sometimes you click on a book seller’s website. If that site is responding very slow, in a few seconds, you can type the competitor’s address. The first guy loses business. Same with countries. If you do not respond fast to global concerns, your competitor will steal your business.