The former secretary of commerce in the United States says an increase in intellectual property right (IPR) protection co-operation will assist to boost bilateral trade relations between China and the US.

Mickey Kantor noted that both countries agree on the importance of better IPR protection.

China has made great strides while fulfilling its commitment to the World Trade Organization in terms of IPR protection, Kantor said in an interview during his visit to Beijing last week.

He added that, in a very impressive way, the country has passed hundreds of laws and regulations to help implement its obligations.

But he stressed that China was facing great challenges in improving its enforcement of existing laws to ensure the penalties for IPR infringements were enough to deter violations.

Finding the best way to raise public awareness about the importance of IPR protection is another major task for China.

Kantor says China and the rest of the world is paying special attention to IPR protection in order to develop their respective economies.

Given the rapid growth of the Chinese economy and its importance on a global scale, IPR protection is critical for all.

Kantor says he believes Chinese officials will seriously tackle the issue.

As a member of former President Bill Clinton's administration, Kantor said he was involved in negotiations in two IPR agreements with China.

He said the effective protection of intellectual property rights would require co-operation from all nations.

Smashing the criminal networks that traffic in fakes and stopping the trade of pirated and counterfeit goods will demand great co-operation from all nations, their non-enforcement officials and those who are in charge of enforcing intellectual property laws.

"We need to join together in an international effort to do whatever we can to stop piracy and to protect intellectual property," Kantor emphasized.

Piracy is thievery, he said, it is stealing someone's property and it is a crime.

It discourages innovation and disparages companies from investing in certain economies because they believe their property cannot be protected.

It seriously threatens the jobs and livelihoods of workers and legitimate industries. "This is not just about investors and shareholders," Kantor said. "This is about workers."

Piracy can also hurt people's health. Bogus products can be found in everything, from baby food to pharmaceuticals, from automobiles to airplane parts and from compact discs to electronic equipment.

Therefore, Kantor says piracy not only kills jobs and economic growth but also imperils the health and safety of consumers, and funds the activities of terrorist organizations.

Kantor said in the US, several steps have been taken by the government and private sector to try to stem the flow of piracy.

One is education and training, and the other is the major work being done by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to seek out, arrest and convict those who have violated intellectual property laws.

In another development, E. Anthony Wayne, the nation's assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, said United States was willing to work hard to protect IPRs in Asia by improving co-operation with other countries, reported Beijing Youth Daily.

Wayne noted those electronic stuff like Samsung, LG and Haier, Qingdao Beer and Chinese director Zhang Yimou's movies are all best-sellers, which need more IPR protection because there are more piracies of them.

Unfortunately, the record and film industries in Hong Kong are the victims of intellectual property theft, Wayne said.

Piracy that can be committed over the Internet, such as being able to download CDs, has seriously affected the income of show business professionals.

Wayne has identified this as a serious and growing risk, and has called for the world to protect Asia's intellectual property.

In early October, the US Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security jointly announced the "Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy," which is the most comprehensive initiative ever advanced to combat global piracy and counterfeiting.

Pirated products are estimated to account for up to 7 per cent of global trade and cost legitimate business people around the world billions of dollars annually.

During this year's meeting of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in April, Premier Wu Yi vowed to devote greater effort to protecting intellectual property and enforcing related laws.

She said the country would also redouble its efforts to raise IPR awareness among the general public.

(China Daily 11/22/2004 page5)