Haidian District has made tremendous efforts in SARS prevention in Zhongguancun, reputed as China's "Silicon Valley". And substantial, effective measures have been implemented to prevent and control the disease, said Zhou Liangluo, head of the Haidian District.

There are 8,400 enterprises with a total workforce of 260,000 in Zhongguancun, Zhou noted.

The latest survey carried out in Zhongguancun indicated that April's business prosperity index was up 6.86 from that of March. Enterprises involved in medicine, information transmission, computer services and software continue to operate in a stable manner.

Many firms have plunged themselves in the battle against SARS, including making donations, researching anti-SARS high-tech products and developing emergency information management systems, official said.

To date, donations from governmental departments at both ministerial and municipal levels, companies and individuals in Haidian have amounted to over 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million).

The local financial bureau has allocated a fund of 50 million yuan (US$6 million) for special use and set up a special team for SARS prevention and treatment.

Confidence on the part of entrepreneurs can surely be maintained as long as the epidemic is well-controlled, said Zhou.

Meanwhile, none of the 873 enterprises and 66 construction sites in the Beijing Economic Technological Development Zone have ceased operation, said Cai Fuchao, director of the publicity department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2003)