This is the situation for both Hong Kong and China. Therefore, we would be justified to be relieved that the ordeal of the last three months has come to an end. Not coming to an end, however, is the sorrow over those who died from the disease, the sympathy for those who suffer lasting effects still, the vigilance of private and public hygiene awareness, and the need to prepare ourselves better for the next medical crisis.

The Chamber is doing its part. First of all, we are pleased that many of our suggestions in our April 16 submission to the government on emergency SARS measures have been adopted by the government (see page 36). Hopefully, they provided some relief to those hardest hit during the lowest point for Hong Kong in April and May. Then, in recent weeks, in accordance with the Chamber's 555 plan to revive Hong Kong that you read about in the June issue of the Bulletin, we took a number of actions.

First we wrote to over 130 newspapers around the world, and 15 or so have published our letters, explaining the true situation in Hong Kong, dispelling ridiculous rumours about Hong Kong and SARS, arguing against discrimination against Hong Kong people and goods, and welcoming visitors back after the travel advisory and the affected area actions by the WHO. A similar letter was provided to members to send to their overseas contacts, and the response to us from members has been overwhelming, after they received positive acknowledgements from their overseas contacts. This letter-writing campaign is a major part of Phase I of confidence building which we put forward in our 555 plan.

Meanwhile, we have transitioned into Phase II -- five months of relaunch. We went to Guangzhou in late May and Shanghai in late June. Both times, the Chamber was received very warmly by senior local officials as they appreciate the effort we made to come visit during a time of great difficulty for all of us. The Chinese phrases of "bringing coal in the snow" and "you can tell true affection in a time of difficulty" were used repeatedly by our hosts. Both trips served to tell Hong Kong, China, and the world that we are back to "business as usual" and we are continuing our close relationship with China. They also serve to imprint our Chamber's name into the senior Chinese officials' mind so that it would help our members in the future.

We also organised a major "Business after SARS" conference on June 7 in conjunction with Operation Unite, to discuss how businesses can come back after this crisis. We welcome the conclusion of Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), a free trade agreement, between Mainland and Hong Kong at the end of June, something that the Chamber initiated back in 2000 and pushed for ever since. Although this will not solve all our economic problems, it will benefit many Hong Kong business people while also being beneficial for China. We will be scheduling a series of workshops and talks to help members understand the agreement and analyse how to take advantage of it, and we will write more on CEPA in the next issue.