China promised yesterday to tighten a crackdown on product piracy -- a key source of tension with Washington -- and improve enforcement cooperation with foreign governments ahead of President Hu Jintao's (
The government shut down 17 production lines making pirated DVDs and CDs last year and six this year, said Yan Xiaohong (閻曉宏), deputy commissioner of the National Copyright Administration of China.
"We are very tough in our measures," Yan said at a news conference.
China is widely regarded as the world's top source of illegal copies of music, movies, software, designer clothes, medicines and other products. Such fake products are still widely available despite repeated government crackdowns.
US officials say unauthorized goods cost legitimate producers worldwide billions of dollars a year in lost potential sales.
They have been pressuring Beijing for stiffer penalties and to shut down factories and stores linked to counterfeits.
Hu is due to visit the White House on April 24 and Beijing has reportedly been preparing initiatives to ease trade tensions ahead of a meeting with US President George W. Bush.
Beijing wants to "strengthen cooperation with international authorities," said Zheng Shaodong (
"We hope to strike hard against international intellectual property rights infringements to maintain legal rights, and international and economic and trade orders," Zheng said.
US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was due to arrive in Beijing late yesterday for trade talks that he said would include the status of China's anti-piracy enforcement.
Yan said that in a recent investigation of disc manufacturers Chinese authorities pulled the licenses of six companies and halted production at eight more, including one company in Beijing and another in Guangdong Province.
Other punitive measures against counterfeiters include fines and warnings, he said.
Authorities are offering rewards of up to 300,000 yuan (US$36,000) for tips on illegal production lines, Yan said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
SECURITY: President William Lai has announced plans to restore the military court system that was disbanded in 2013 to address a surge in Chinese infiltration efforts Taiwan plans to reinstate military judges to hear Chinese espionage cases and other offenses involving Taiwanese service members, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. There would be a review and legal amendments “to reinstate the military trial system,” he told reporters after a national security meeting. “Military judges will return to the front line,” Lai said. Military judges would work “alongside prosecutorial and judicial agencies to handle criminal cases involving active-duty military personnel accused of treason, aiding the enemy, leaking classified information, dereliction of duty, insubordination and other military offenses,” he said. The number of people prosecuted for spying for Beijing has risen sharply,
RSS