The Chinese government has been sincere and ambitious in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection and would take more actions in this aspect, Premier Wen Jiabao pledged in Beijing on Wednesday.

"Protecting the IPR is not only necessitated by China's opening up, but also by a domestic drive for encouraging innovation and scientific development," Wen said during a speech at the fourth EU-China Business Summit held here.

Most recently, China and the European Union (EU) signed the minutes of the bilateral IPR Working Group and launched the China-EU IPR Phase II program.

"Chinese and European customs authorities will also conclude a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen joint IPR enforcement," the premier said.

"We stand ready to work with the EU to collectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of IPR holders," he added.

In merely two decades since introducing the first Patent Law in 1985, China has set in place a relatively complete IPR legal framework, coupled with intensifying enforcement.

At the same time, the Chinese government has widely rolled out advocacy campaigns to spread knowledge on IPR laws and to build greater public awareness for IPR protection.

The EU-China business summit attracted about 500 entrepreneurs from China and the EU, who had in-depth discussions on topics relating to bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2007)