Second only to the huge imbalance in bilateral trade,
intellectual property rights (IPR) protection is the major
flashpoint between China and the United States.
The two governments' latest meeting in Beijing, with their
expression of shared commitment to advancing cooperation, is an
encouraging sign that their interaction is finally shifting onto a
healthy track.
It is high time the two put an end to the endless, and at the
same time fruitless, blame game.
Finger-pointing over the years has contributed little beyond
brewing distrust between the two countries' trade authorities as
well as law enforcement agencies.
The situation began showing improvement when the two sides
started conducting meaningful dialogue and finally got down to
business.
If the rampant street peddlers hawking pirated DVDs provided a
forceful US case against alleged Chinese negligence in law
enforcement, they are much less visible now. The remaining hawkers
now operate in fear of arrest. This reflects a substantial climate
change.
The Chinese authorities' high-profile 100-day crackdown on IPR
piracy that is now a long-term campaign clearly sends the message
that the fight against IPR abuse is not a battle to be won
overnight.
Law enforcement has its blind spots, which explains why we can
still see illicit DVD peddlers. But this is only a partial
explanation.
Street peddlers are at the very end of the long and complex
supply chain. The roots of IPR piracy can usually be traced to
outside China. That is why the Chinese authorities have insisted on
cross-border collaboration.
They are not dodging responsibility. No matter how hard they try
at home, the crackdown will be limited as long as the roots lie
somewhere else. Well-coordinated cross-border actions have proved
effective.
Given its high business stakes in IPR protection in China, as
well as its expertise in this area, the United State is in a good
position to lend a helping hand.
But more important than that, the United States must first be
aware that China is not the half-hearted partner the US has
imagined.
(China Daily March 29, 2007)
