The meetings came as U.S. and Chinese officials, meeting in Washington, agreed to address a range of problems facing U.S. companies doing business in China, including movie piracy and computer encryption.
 
A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Wu Yi proposed measures to combat counterfeit goods by significantly increasing penalties against violations of IPRs.  China also indefinitely deferred a rule, scheduled for implementation on June 1, concerning encryption standards for wireless communications in devices such as pagers and laptop computers.
 
More than 400 senior-level Chinese officials attended the OECD workshops, including three vice ministers and senior officials from each province, according to Rick Johnson (Arnold & Porter), a member of the business delegation led by Takaya Ishida, chair of BIAC’s Technology and Industry Committee.
 
In a letter delivered at the workshops, Vice Premier Wu stated that the Chinese government is committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of protection of IPRs, and would look to the experience of other countries as examples in effecting improvements.
 
At the conclusion of the meetings, Chinese officials requested that the OECD provide follow-up assistance on issues related to IPRs, signaling China’s commitment to work with the OECD on an ongoing basis to enhance the effectiveness of its intellectual property regime.