Addressing the Second Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting & Piracy in Lyon, France, on Monday, Zheng Shaodong, assistant Minister of Public Security of China, said that China attaches as much importance to the protection of intellectual property rights as the next country.

 

He said China has enacted a series of laws and regulations including the law on trademark and the law on patent rights, thus setting up a set of laws tailored to the protection of intellectual property rights, which is in line with international practice and which fits with the reality in China. 

 

China has also actively promoted international cooperation in this aspect, Zheng added, noting that China has signed a number of international conventions on the protection of intellectual property rights.

 

He said his ministry found that quite a lot of foreign companies had illegally ordered counterfeit goods from China, which has severely damaged the image and reputation of China and resulted in unnecessary trade disputes.

 

According to Gao Feng, an official with the ministry, Chinese police have cracked some 7,000 criminal cases involving counterfeiting and theft of commercial intelligence worth about 2.6 billion yuan (around US$321 million).

 

Lawrence Wong, deputy commissioner of Hong Kong's customs and excise department, said that Hong Kong has established a comprehensive cooperation framework with the Chinese mainland.

 

World Customs Organization Secretary General Michel Danet said that Chinese customs authorities have showed its strong commitment and improved transparency and work in combating counterfeiting.

 

Danet said he would visit China next month, aiming to tighten the cooperation with the Chinese side, especially on fighting counterfeiting before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

 

The Second Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting & Piracy was convened by Interpol and the World Customs Organization, with the support and participation of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The congress ends today.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2005)