On June 4, 2003, the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic Mr. Mhd Kheir Al - Wadi to China handed over a check worth of 100,000 US dollars, for the combat against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) SARS in China, to the Vice Foreign Minister Yang Wenchang. Wadi noted that the Syrian people firmly stood beside the Chinese people in the fight against SARS.