国内英语新闻:Serving the people urged after Japanese man's bike retrieved

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China, has called on local authorities to protect the common people's interests like the way they treated a Japanese cycling enthusiast after his bike was stolen.

The newspaper on Wednesday called for "better serving of the ordinary people" after police expeditiously retrieved the bike of Kawahara Keiichiro, who is on a fund-raising mission biking through dozens of countries for charity.

Keiichiro's bike was stolen in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, last Friday, but was found three days later by police after his friend posted details of the theft online.

The commentary in the People's Daily praised netizens and local police's warm-hearted assistance for finding Keiichiro's lost bike, but indicated that the Japanese man had enjoyed the VIP treatment that ordinary Chinese might rarely receive.

The commentary noted that negligence of such minor cases reflects public security loopholes, while in essence, it refers to some local authorities' indifference to ordinary people's interests.

The commentary said a city or a country's sound image does not rely on its economic achievement or increasing skyscrapers, but on how it treats the common people and the most vulnerable groups.