On Tuesday a Chinese official stressed again that protection of
intellectual property rights (IPR) is a crucial part of addressing
the challenges that come with rapid economic growth, saying that
European Union (EU) and Japanese efforts to strengthen IPR
protection in China are welcome.
At a seminar on industrial design protection involving all three
countries in Beijing, Li Ling, director-general of the Ministry of Commerce's
Treaty and Law Department, said that both domestic and foreign
companies doing business in China were entitled to intellectual
property protection.
The event was held to discuss the protection of industrial
designs in China in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) and
other international standards. A decade of legislative change has
put China in a much better position to administrate protection
mechanisms and enforcement but much work still needs to be
done.
European officials encouraged China to stay on course with
initiatives to further strengthen IPR protection. "We welcome the
opportunity to establish public and private partnerships involving
European and Chinese governments and their industrial circles in
order to beat the counterfeiters," said Paul Vandoren, director of
trade at the European Commission.
He went on to say that globalization and trade liberalization
are bringing WTO members and multinational companies closer
together; nowhere is this more apparent than in China, the world's
largest recipient of foreign direct investment.
While China has made progress in international trade
cooperation, without effective nationwide anti-counterfeiting
measures it will be difficult to maintain its attractiveness for
foreign and domestic investors or to encourage innovation and
protect consumers from safety hazards.
Japanese officials stressed the need to strengthen dialogue and
technical cooperation. "We see trade cooperation between Japan and
China as a long-term strategic partnership," said Makita Shimokawa,
director of the Economic Integration Division of Japan's Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
Specialists at the seminar said that, as foreign investment
continues to flow into the Chinese market, industrial designs that
effectively brand a product to ensure consumer recognition must be
better protected.
(China Daily October 20, 2004)