China Scene: East

Father-and-daughter team charged with fraud

Under the guise of a fake Japanese company, a father-and-daughter duo cheated more than two million yuan from three victims over the past six years.

They were recently arrested and charged with fraud.

The father, surnamed Yin, claimed to be the representative of a Japanese company that planned to open an automobile parts subsidiary in Shanghai. One victim, surnamed Chen, lent a total of 1.6 million yuan to Yin to establish the new company in the metropolis from 2003 to 2008. Chen was left with the impression he would be able to get a well-paid job with the company once it was set up.

(Shanghai Morning Post)

New business offers bike accessibility to students

Students under a university tight budget in Shanghai are now able to rent bicycles without paying.

Ten thousand free bicycles were put into use at five universities in the metropolis this week.

After applying for a credibility card, the students are able to rent the bicycles with GPS navigators.

Sponsor IBIKE Media says the service will branch out to more universities by the end of the year.

Commercial advertising displayed on the bicycles support the costs involved in running the new bicycle business.

IBIKE says it has so far signed agreements with roughly 30 universities across the nation.

(Shanghai Evening Post)

(China Daily 06/04/2008 page6)