China is increasing intellectual property right protection to
meet international demands and benefit China's economic
development, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan at Tuesday's
regular press conference.??
He made the remark when asked to comment on the forthcoming
Sino-US roundtable meeting on intellectual property right
protection. US Secretary of Commerce Donald Louis Evans will attend
the meeting, which will be held on Thursday.
Evans arrived in Beijing Tuesday afternoon. Besides attending
the IPR roundtable conference, he will also meet Chinese leaders
and confer with relevant Chinese ministries and commissions on
Sino-US trade and economic relations and other related issues, Kong
said.
The Sino-US economic and trade cooperation benefits both sides,
Kong said. From January to November 2004, bilateral trade volume
reached US$152.7 billion, up 34 percent. This is almost equal to
the growth rate of China's total foreign trade volume.
With expanding cooperation with the US, China hopes bilateral
economic and trade cooperation in the new year will make new
progress through joint efforts, Kong said.
Kong announced Vice President Zeng
Qinghong will pay an official visit from January 23 to February
3 to five Latin American and Caribbean nations including Mexico,
Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica.
He said Zeng will visit these countries at the invitation of the
Mexican and Jamaican governments, Peruvian Vice President David
Waisman Rjavinsthi, Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel,
and Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago.
During his visits, Zeng will also attend the opening ceremony of
the first Ministerial-level Meeting of the China-Caribbean Economy
and Trade Cooperation Forum on February 2 in Kingston, capital of
Jamaica.
Kong also announced at the invitation of Premier Wen
Jiabao, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin is to visit China
from January 20 to 23, and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to
visit China from January 17 to 22.
(Xinhua News Agency, CRI.com January 12, 2005)