U.S. should assess China's IPR protection efforts fairly

The United States should be more objective and fair when assessing China's efforts to protect intellectual property rights (IPR), China said Thursday.

Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Sun Jiwen made the remarks when commenting on the Office of the United States Trade Representative's (USTR) recently released "Special 301 Report" on IPR protection.

Eleven countries, including China, India and Russia, were on the Priority Watch List, indicating that the office believes these countries have insufficient IPR protections or enforcement.

"For a long time, the United States has continued to release this report unilaterally, judging and criticizing other countries' IPR situations without objective criteria and fairness, and has received widespread opposition," said the spokesperson.

"China is aware of the importance of IPR protection and has made obvious progress in the area," Sun said.

"The United States should give a more objective, fair and friendly evaluation of IPR protection and law enforcement efforts made by China and other countries," he added.

China wants to enhance communication and cooperation with the United States and other countries to improve the legal environment for bilateral economic and trade ties.

The USTR states that the "Special 301 Report" is "an annual review of the global state of IPR protection and enforcement." Endi