In 2003, Southern Metropolis Daily's reporting on the Sun Zhigang case directly contributed to the abolition of China's custody and repatriation system.
On April 20, 2003, the CCP Central Committee decided to remove Zhang Wenkang, Party Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and Meng Xuenong, Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, from their posts. On the same day, Beijing's case figures were revised upward from 37 to 339 and changed to daily releases; Meng Xuenong subsequently resigned as mayor, and Zhang Wenkang was removed as Minister of Health on April 26.
Longtime FBI informant Katrina Leung and her handler James Smith have been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified technical operations and counterintelligence program information to Chinese intelligence officers.
On April 4, 2003, military doctor Jiang Yanyong learned that Health Minister Zhang Wenkang had claimed there were only 12 SARS cases in Beijing. He then told the real case numbers from military hospitals to CCTV and Phoenix TV, and the information was relayed out by foreign journalists.
On April 3, 2003, Health Minister Zhang Wenkang told a press conference in Beijing that Beijing had only 12 SARS cases and 3 deaths, and said it was safe whether or not you wore a mask; the next day, Jiang Yanyong disclosed higher figures from military hospitals.