Highway fees set to decrease

BEIJING - Highway toll fees will be made more affordable nationwide, as the Ministry of Transport will gradually introduce a stable and cheap charging system, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Vice-Minister of Transport Weng Mengyong made the remarks at a news conference about the recent high-profile case in Central China's Henan province, in which a farmer received a life sentence for toll evasion.

Shi Jianfeng, a farmer in Henan, was convicted of evading tolls totaling 3.68 million yuan ($550,000), according to the Pingdingshan Intermediate People's Court verdict on Dec 21, 2010.