Public service cars: huge financial burden

Shown in the picture is a government parking lot. Statistics show that China had some 3.5 million public-service cars in late 1990s, spending 300 billion yuan (US$36 billion) per annum on using and maintaining these cars as well as employing their drivers. Currently, the public-service-car-linked costs continue to rise, exerting huge financial pressure on the government. (newsphoto)