IP was a central topic at this year's Sino-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade held on Nov 21 in Chengdu.

Chaired by China's Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, US Secretary of Commerce John Bryson and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, the commission vowed to deepen cooperation on IP issues and signed a framework agreement on related projects.

China agreed to make a "significant change" in enforcement including a permanent mechanism to continue high-level involvement in cracking down on IP infringement following a nationwide campaign that began in 2010.

The agreement said China's central government will increase political accountability to measure the performance of local officials based on the IP enforcement in their regions. The government also agreed to continue working to develop solutions to combat the sale of counterfeits on the Internet.

(Source: China Daily)