Get the latest delivered to your inbox
Privacy Policy

Now Reading

SOHU and Miss World Organization Join Hands to Raise AIDS Awareness in China

SOHU and Miss World Organization Join Hands to Raise AIDS Awareness in China

Published 01-25-05

Submitted by SOHU

BEIJING, CHINA - SOHU.COM Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), China's leading online media, communications, commerce and mobile value-added services company, and the Miss World Organization, represented by its Chairperson, Miss World and Miss China, have held a joint press conference in Beijing today to raise awareness to combat AIDS in China, in particular among women.

Dr. Charles Zhang, Chairman of the Board and CEO of SOHU, is an AIDS ambassador for the Chinese Ministry of Health in recognition of SOHU's corporate social responsibility track record of promoting AIDS awareness. Five years ago, the SOHU portal was the first online media platform to begin publishing information about AIDS, including articles Dr. Zhang wrote to alert the public in China about the threat of this debilitating disease. In addition, SOHU and the Ministry of Health have co-developed the official anti-AIDS website in China.

"We are glad to provide the information and communication platform for AIDS education and offer AIDS patients an online destination to communicate with each other. The battle against AIDS enjoys full government support and as a result China is making progress, but the fight is far from over. I am very pleased that Miss World, the Ministry of Health and SOHU are working together for this important cause," said Charles Zhang.

The press conference marked the launch of a charity event organized by SOHU, Miss World Organization and the China Center for Disease Control (CCDC) under the Ministry of Health to raise funds for AIDS education and awareness, with special emphasis on AIDS prevention for women. All contestants who took part in the recently concluded 54th Miss World Contest have contributed a favorite personal item that will be auctioned on SOHU's online store. Leading online auction company eBay EachNet will contribute to this charity event by providing the use of its auction platform. The proceeds will be donated to the CCDC.

"We are fighting a serious AIDS battle in China. As of September 2004, 89,067 people in the country have been diagnosed as AIDS patients. AIDS is an illness that is preventable. The Internet is an effective medium through which to promote AIDS education. SOHU, as one of the most influential and powerful portals in China, will be able to make a significant contribution to our anti-AIDS efforts," said Mr. Haihua Deng, Head of the News Department of the Ministry of Health.

By attending the press conference in Beijing, the Peruvian-born winner of the 54th Miss World Contest, Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, kicked off her Miss World global charity tour 2005. SOHU's cooperation with Miss World began in late 2004, when the portal hosted the exclusive Chinese Official website for the 54th Miss World Contest, held in the tropical resort town Sanya, Hainan. Signaling the Internet's growing role in entertainment events, this Miss World contest organized for the first time telephone, SMS text and Internet voting to select the final winner.

Julie Morley, Chairperson of the Miss World Organization, commented: "Global charity work is the mission of every Miss World. AIDS is one of the biggest challenges the world is facing in the 21st century. Already 39 million adults worldwide have been infected with AIDS, and nearly half of them are women. We hope that Miss World's efforts will help protect women's health in China and around the world."

Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, SOHU's historical and possible future losses, limited operating history, uncertain regulatory landscape in the People's Republic of China, fluctuations in quarterly operating results, and the company's reliance on online advertising sales, e-subscriptions (most of which are collected from a few mobile telecom operators) and e-commerce for its revenues.

Further information regarding these and other risks is included in SOHU's Annual Report on Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOHU.COM (NASDAQ: SOHU) is China's premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese who use the portal network for their news, search, e-mail, wireless messaging, instant messaging, browsing, games and shopping. SOHU has built the most comprehensive matrix of web properties in China, consisting of the mass portal and leading online media destination www.sohu.com; the #1 online alumni club www.chinaren.com; #1 games portal www.17173.com and top real estate website www.focus.cn. This network of web properties offers the vast SOHU user community the broadest possible choices regarding information, entertainment, communication and commerce. SOHU.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China's Internet pioneers, is in its eighth year of operation.

SOHU

SOHU

More from SOHU

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox