China warns US over anti-piracy action

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 24 Apr 2007 at 09:39

China has rejected US claims that it is not doing enough to combat the illegal copying of music and movies, claiming that any attempt to penalise it would 'seriously harm' trade co-operation between the two countries.

The US recently asked the World Trade Organization to investigate whether China is doing enough to reduce counterfeiting of CDs and DVDs.

'The United States Trade Representative, the USTR, has totally ignored the massive strides China has made,' China's Vice Premier Wu Yi told an intellectual property forum in Beijing.

She said that the US action goes against an agreement between the two countries to settle disputes with dialogue.

'This will have an utterly negative impact and will inevitably badly damage bilateral intellectual property co-operation,' she said.

Wu was speaking after the Chinese government announced a new anti-piracy plan comprising 14 new laws on intellectual property rights and enforcement.