China vows to be tougher on piracy
China promised Monday to tighten a crackdown on product piracy -- a key source of tension with Washington -- and improve cooperation with foreign governments ahead of President Hu Jintao’s trip to the U.S.
The government shut down 17 production lines making pirated DVDs and CDs last year and six this year, said Yan Xiaohong, deputy commissioner of the National Copyright Administration of China. “We are very tough in our measures,” Yan said. China is widely regarded as the world’s top source of illegal copies of music, movies, software, designer clothes, medicines and other products. U.S. officials have been pressuring Beijing to shut down factories and stores linked to counterfeits.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was due to arrive in Beijing late Monday for trade talks that he said would include China’s anti-piracy enforcement.
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