BEIJING -- China's top trade official warned that U.S. complaints to the World Trade Organization over product piracy and media-market barriers could harm the two countries' trade relations. "The adverse impact generated by this would be huge," Vice Premier Wu Yi said yesterday at the opening of a government forum on intellectual-property protection. Ms. Wu said that Washington was ignoring Chinese progress in fighting piracy and said the U.S. move violated an understanding to settle such disputes through dialogue. "It will also cause serious influence on bilateral intellectual-property cooperation...and harms the existing cooperative relationship on market access for publications," Ms. Wu said.
![[Wu Yi]](four_clip_image001.gif)
Ms. Wu is China's envoy to a series of high-level talks with the U.S. on contentious economic issues, including the nation's currency and financial markets. The U.S. side is led by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. After hosting Mr. Paulson and other U.S. cabinet members in Beijing in December, Ms. Wu is to lead a large Chinese delegation to Washington for the next meeting, scheduled for May 23-24. China is also expected to announce the purchase of several billion dollars of U.S. goods ahead of the trip, in a goodwill gesture to showcase the country's demand for U.S. products.
The U.S. complaints to the WTO, filed April 9, accuse China of violating its trade commitments by failing to stop widespread product piracy and blocking imports of U.S.-produced books, magazines and publications. China is one of the world's leading sources of illegally copied goods, ranging from Hollywood movies and designer clothes to sporting goods and medications. U.S. officials say Chinese piracy costs companies tens of billions of dollars in potential sales.
The complaints were made as the Bush administration has come under increasing pressure from a Democratic-controlled Congress to get tougher on trade issues. Ms. Wu also pledged a tough response to the WTO cases, which China plans to contest. "We will fight to the last minute," she said. Ms. Wu didn't discuss next month's talks with the U.S. in her speech. She said China's intellectual property protections are in line with international standards but acknowledged that large amounts of illegally copied goods are still being produced and that law enforcement and social awareness need to improve. "China still has a long way to go on its IPR protection journey," Ms. Wu said, referring to intellectual property rights. She said Beijing is planning to pass several laws on intellectual property this year, and is launching publicity campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of buying illegally copied goods. "The Chinese government will be more resolute, adopt more measures and step up IPR protection," she said.
