Some 210,000 people were sent to work abroad in the first 11 months of 2004 itself, a 17.3% rise over the year before, and more than 532,000 Chinese workers were based overseas by the end of November last year. These figures indicate that China has emerged from the shadow of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and achieved encouraging progress in labor mobility. The report predicts that the Chinese government will attach greater importance to overseas labor, simplifying approval procedures, strengthening industrial regulation and improving the sector’s business environment.