Quotable

We also want to emphasize that their operation must abide by Chinese laws and regulations. Whether they can have a successful business in China or not will be decided by the Chinese market and consumers."

Geng Shuang, Foreign Ministry spokesman, when asked whether China will take punitive measures against Lotte Group over a land deal in South Korea that facilitates the deployment of THAAD anti-missile system. Geng said China welcomes foreign companies to operate in China and respects and protects their legal rights and interests.

"It's an effective way of solving the 'last mile' problem, which is why bike-sharing services have been so widely implemented. ... The development of the bike-sharing industry has been largely positive, but problems do remain."

Li Xiaopeng, China's transport minister, at a news briefing in Beijing. Li praised the online-to-offline bike rental model pioneered in China by Ofo, Mobike and Bluegogo, and urged governments to support and supervise the market.

"A number of problems still exist in food safety, and supervision still falls short of public expectations. We will punish irregularities with the most severe measures this year to prevent and control food and drug risks."

Bi Jingquan, chief of the China Food and Drug Administration, at a news conference on Feb 27.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/03/2017 page2)