BEIJING - The EU-China cooperation project on the protection of Intellectual Property Rights held a closing ceremony Friday, commemorating the successful completion of over 200 technical assistance and training activities across China.

The closing ceremony included a handover of 500 expert materials and information tools developed by the Project from 2007 to 2011 to the Chinese authorities.

Raimund Lutz, vice president of European Patent Office, told reporters at the ceremony that the office received 13,000 applications from China in 2010, up by 96 percent compared with the number in 2008.

The Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Project Phase II (IPR2)was launched in 2007 by the European Union and the Chinese government with 16.275 million euros in joint funding.

IPR2 aimed at improving the reliability, efficiency and accessibility of the Intellectual Property protection system in China, and establishing a sustainable environment of Intellectual Property Right enforcement in China.

The project is a partnership between the European Union and China on the protection of intellectual property rights in China.