China hits back at US piracy complaint

BEIJING: China hit back on Tuesday at the US decision to file a WTO complaint against it for copyright abuse, warning the move was ill-informed and would damage trade relations between the two countries.

"China feels regret and is strongly dissatisfied (with the US decision)," commerce ministry spokesman Wang Xinpei said in a statement.

"The move will seriously damage cooperation (on intellectual property rights protection) that the two parties have already built up and will have a negative impact on trade relations between the two sides."

The United States announced on Monday it would file a case at the World Trade Organisation over widespread copyright
piracy in China, a practice which US companies say deprives them of billions of dollars each year.

Washington also said it would lodge another complaint at the WTO accusing China of restricting distribution of foreign music, films and books.

"Piracy and counterfeiting levels in China remain unacceptably high," US Trade Representative Susan Schwab told
a news conference in Washington, brandishing a fake Chinese DVD of the Ben Stiller hit 'Night at the Museum.'

In a further Chinese reaction to the announcement, China's top copyright official said the United States did not understand the huge efforts Beijing had undertaken to combat the problem.

"It's not a sensible move for the US government to file such a complaint," the state-run news agency quoted Intellectual Property Office commissioner Tian Lipu, as saying.