US govt hails cabbies' drive to please

Forty-year-old taxi driver Zhou Yong only caught a glimpse of US President Barack Obama's back from far away during 12 days working for the White House Communications Agency in Beijing - but it was a glimpse he will never forget.

"When I was told I would be working for Obama during his (Nov 16-18) Beijing trip, I hoped I would get a chance to chat with the US president," Zhou said yesterday.

But that never happened and he had to settle for a long-range look during the US president's visit to the Badaling section of the Great Wall.