The taxi driver strike continued Monday in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, and extended to at least one county.

More than 100 cab drivers joined a sit-in in front of the Xining municipal government Monday morning, demanding permanent operating rights for their privately-owned taxis.

The drivers were cordoned off on the pavement to avoid disruption to traffic. At least 300 police in dark uniforms and helmets were keeping order at the scene.

The number of striking cabbies was at least halved compared with Sunday, but still, very few taxis could be seen on Xining's streets.

Nearly every taxi in service had a police officer on the front passenger seat for fear that the striking drivers might attack the working drivers. Some drivers at work also had their number plates covered up with cloth.

The strike extended to Ping'an County in Haidong Prefecture, with more than 300 taxis parked neatly on either side of a pivotal road in the county seat.

"Most taxi drivers were peasants or laid-off workers," said a 30-something woman driver who refused to be named. "We spent 150,000 yuan on the license and at least 50,000 yuan on the car, but make 1,000 yuan a month at most. When the license expires, it would mean most of our money was spent for nothing."

The drivers were angered after a newspaper reported on Friday that the provincial government would cut their license periods from 12 years to eight.

Their demand for "permanent operating rights" was interpreted as an attempt to "privatize" the industry, which was not possible at least for the time being, an official in charge of transportation said.

"There's no such practice in China and it's not possible for Qinghai to take the lead," said Yuan Fuyu, an official in charge of transportation at the provincial communication department.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2009)