China's IT market booming
( 2002-09-24 10:08 ) (1 )

China has become one of the most open markets in the world in the information technology sector and will share its development with other countries after its entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO), said a senior Chinese official on Monday.

"China's IT industry has been performing excellently after its accession to WTO and many changes have been taking place all over the nation," said Lou Qinjian, vice-minister of information industry, at the Eighth World Electronics Forum (WEF) held in Beijing on Monday, held in China for the first time with over 50 delegates from all over the world.

His remarks were the first official review of China's implementation of WTO commitments regarding the information industry after nine months as a WTO member.

Last week, the WTO gave a positive review of China's implementation of intellectual property rights protection after its accession to the trade body and it will hold three more reviews of China's implementation of WTO rules on agriculture, market access and import licence procedures this week.

China's telephone users reached 381 million by the end of July and the middle and western regions showed the fastest growth rate, pointing to rapid expansion of the market potential. The rest of the world and foreign companies, which enjoy equal treatment, benefit too, he added.

As for the protection of intellectual property rights, China has recently finished its revision of laws and regulations on copyright, software and trade mark protection and has built a complete legal system fully in compliance with WTO requirements, said Wang Chao, an official with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation (MOFTEC).

Phil Bond, undersecretary for technology at the US Department of Commerce, also expressed his appreciation for the progresses that China has made after WTO accession.

"China deserves enormous praise and so much has been done - 2,300 laws and regulations reviewed in light of the WTO," said Bond.

Chinese officials also urge government departments and businesses to use WTO rules as a way to gain equal treatment in world trade.

Lou said, for example, some foreign computer chip makers not only charge Chinese companies for royalties when they buy chips, but also extend charges to spare parts and whole products to take advantage of the lack of knowledge of intellectual property rights among Chinese users.

Chinese businesses are also seeing more and more anti-dumping lawsuits, which have added the cost towards Chinese exporters, Wang Chao added.