Pirated CDs Walk Plank in China

Giant balloons reached toward the clouds. Hundreds of customs agents stood in rows, listening to marching music that included a chunk of “It’s a Small World After All.”

And outside the Ping Pong Pavilion of the Zhuhai Athletic Center stadium, 15 industrial-strength wood chippers did what they were trotted out to do Tuesday afternoon: made minced plastic of 16 million counterfeit CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMs.

“This is one of the most important issues facing us today,” said Shi Zongyuan, the official in charge of anti-piracy efforts in southern China. “Getting rid of pirated CDs will give us a much-needed economic boost.”

China mounts such a spectacle every few months--though usually on a smaller scale than that seen Tuesday--to show that it is serious about stopping rampant product piracy.

The events get lavish coverage in state media, but the real target audience is abroad--China’s angry trading partners. Foreign producers of music, film and software say Chinese pirates are ruining their businesses.

As China’s virtually certain membership in the World Trade Organization approaches, such crackdowns are being spotlighted--and, China says, carried out--more than usual.

Last month, China announced investigations involving Rolex and Seiko watches, Kodak and Fuji film boxes and medicine bearing well-known British trademarks.

The event Tuesday, infused with the spirit of a Communist rally, was extraordinary in both scale and organization.

The only Westerner in sight was on the dais with 40 Chinese officials. Mike Ellis of the Asia-Pacific arm of the Los Angeles-based Motion Picture Assn. of America said he believed China was “committed to dealing with this problem.”