China hits back as US turns up heat on piracy

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

China said Tuesday it is "strongly dissatisfied" with the US decision to complain to the World Trade Organization about Beijing's protection of intellectual property rights, as trade tensions between the two countries stepped up a notch.

The United States filed two new complaints against China at the WTO Tuesday over copyright policy and re- strictions on the sale of American movies, music and books, US trade officials said.

The move at the WTO comes a day after US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said American companies were losing billions of dollars annually from piracy levels in China that "remain unacceptably high."

In a statement posted on China's Ministry of Commerce Web site, Wang Xinpei, a ministry spokesman, said the Chinese government greatly regrets the United States' planned move, which "goes against the consensus between leaders of both countries to strongly develop bilateral trade relations and to appropriately resolve trade problems."

The plan "seriously hurts the cooperative relationship developed between both countries in this area and will exert a negative effect on bilateral trade," Wang said.

Separately, Xinhua News Agency cited State Intellectual Property Office Commissioner Tian Lipu as saying the US decision is "not a sensible move."

Trade frictions between the two countries have been growing, with the latest US claims coming on the heels of Washington last month imposing preliminary tariffs on imports of Chinese sheet paper ranging from 10.9 percent to 20.4 percent, and a WTO case filed by the United States in February in which it alleged Beijing had given unfair subsidies to a range of Chinese industries.

The trade disputes will also cast a shadow over a high-level visit by Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi to the United States in May as part of a strategic economic dialogue between the two countries. A person familiar with the situation said last week that China is drafting plans to buy US$12.5 billion (HK$97.5 billion) of US goods ahead of that visit.

"The United States has filed a WTO complaint right when China is forging ahead with its IPR protection efforts," Tian was quoted as saying in the Xinhua report.

"We will move quickly to formulate and implement a national strategy for intellectual property rights to strengthen protection of them," he said.

As part of its efforts to curb piracy, China last year started requiring computer manufacturers to ship their products loaded with legitimate copies of operating-system software.

Schwab Monday acknowledged China's leaders have made progress in improving property rights protection for movies, music, books and other goods, but said the United States and China have not been able to agree on legal changes the United States believes are needed for China to comply with its WTO commitments.

But Wang of the Chinese commerce ministry said: "The Chinese government has always taken a resolute attitude to protecting intellectual property rights, with results that are evident to all."

Wang added that China has not yet received the WTO's request for consultation over the US complaints, and will "seriously study" and "vigorously deal" with the request once the United States formally raises it.

The trade actions come as China's huge trade surpluses are exacerbating some US politicians' impatience with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's approach of stressing engagement and dialogue with China to deal with bilateral trade problems

Sorry---I never forgot! I recommended that my daughter learn to speak Chinese.

Using best Yoda voice:
"Not so easy to push around, are these Chinese people."

Just remember how hard the United States leaned on Sweden to curtail The Pirate Bay... and how much of an abysmal failure that turned out to be... and consider that China's clout in the world economy is somewhat larger than Sweden's...

Lot of huffing and puffing by the real leaders, the corporate turdlickers.

We don't exactly have much bargaining room considering that they manufacture ALL OUR GOODS!!!

Way to bite the hand that feeds you...

Everybody Wang Chung tonight !

Dear China,
The people of the US do not hate the people of China. During the "Cold War" with the USSR the people of the US did not hate the people of the USSR. US citizens who are aware of what the RIAA really is, hate the RIAA. Most Americans dislike the control that megacorperations have over our govenment. These Megacorperations are not even US-owned.
Please understand that we the people are not attacking you, just the unwanted MegaCorps that occupy our country and feel free to join boycott-riaa.com
-Wayne

now if I only had an addy to Email that to

Re: "We forget that China is communist ..."

But, but, they claim they're "the PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC of China" . . . and, and, er, I thought that is supposed to mean their form of government is what they call it, a republic -- a representative democracy representing the people??? What the crap!
Wait! I just had another thought: The former Russian name for themselves when they were staunchly communuist used to be "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics". There was that use of "republic" again.
Hmm, I wonder if somehow these communist dictatorships or oligarchies find it expedient if not self-delusional to project themselves as being better than they really are (not having to admit they're basically totalitarian and repressive, but instead a kind of, let's see, how did the venerable Karl Marx put it ... oh, "dictatorship of the proletariat")? Yeah, right.


Verbal bantering aside, let's face it, folks: Communist nations SUCK, and much to be preferred are nations like ours which ALSO do some pretending but just don't suck quite as much.
When it comes right down to it, platitudes aside, it's only a matter of degree by how much the common unprivileged citizens are left out of the loop.

WORDS AND DOCUMENTS SERVE AS THEORY. IN PRACTICE, THERE IS NO TRULY BENEVOLENT GOVERNMENT ANYWHERE!!!!!


[end of cynical rant]

"...a WTO case filed by the United States in February in which it alleged Beijing had given unfair subsidies to a range of Chinese industries."



Communist nations may well suck but your version of democracy sucks equally well from my position and many others. They are both repressive, restrictive and highly intolerable of external interference (which is something the US govt seems to be doing more and more lately).

Something I said a while ago was the only real difference between DEMOCRACY and COMMUNISM is who pulls the trigger when silencing the outspoken.

Well, yeah, you're right . . . democracy sucks, too, just not as bad as communism (sort of like I had written).
It's more a matter of degree, which is why I had to grant the "preferable" choice of what we have in the U.S. by comparison to what the people in China have to endure.
Notwithstanding, this nation (225 years after its inception) is still rife with unfairness and imbalances, as you and I many others know. . .

I agree with what you wrote.
All forms of government are, to some extent or another, intolerant of outspoken dissenters.

as far as Im concerned, the US is under Corperate Occupation, at least China isn't