SHANGHAI: The city's bid to build itself into an international shipping center is facing a new challenge - more crimes involving unauthorized cargo truck operators using fake licenses, a district prosecutor's office said.

"The crimes have seriously affected the security of ports in the city," Tan Jianqiu, a prosecutor with the Shanghai Hongkou District Prosecutors' Office, said.

On March 8, the driver of a container truck at a cargo port in Pudong knocked down a cyclist and fled. The cyclist died later in hospital.

Zhang Lixuan was arrested on June 12, and investigations revealed his driver's and business licenses were fake. He said he had never received driving lessons.

On April 2, Hua Huiming and Hua Liming, equipped with fake business licenses, stole brass pipes they were supposed to send to Waigaoqiao Port. The pipes were worth more than $23,000.

With ports in the city getting busier, more crimes are being witnessed. Last year, Shanghai topped the world's import-export cargo list and was the third largest container port.

In the first six months of this year, 103 people were arrested for 97 crimes relating to the ports, a 203.1 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Fifty-two people were charged with trading in fake government documents, mostly business and driving licenses, and 51 for the purchase and use of fake certificates.

"All the 51 suspects were from outside Shanghai and hoped to earn money in the container transport business," Tan said.

To be a container truck driver takes months of driving lessons and can cost up to 8,000 yuan, another prosecutor, Chen Yijun, said.

A fake license costs between 100 yuan and 400 yuan, he said.

Most fake licenses originate from Hunan and Henan provinces.

"The fact that most sellers are from other provinces makes investigations more difficult," Chen said.

He said prosecutors will urge authorities in the two provinces to take tougher measures against the racket.

(China Daily 07/18/2007 page5)