IP protection needed for innovation: Wu

Vice Premier Wu Yi told a meeting of mainland business executives in Beijing Thursday that fighting piracy was crucial to China's plans to become a technological powerhouse, the South China Morning Post reported. She vowed to intensify her fight against illegally copied goods, and officials and two large business associations at the meeting pledged to reject pirated goods, especially software, and not to buy or sell counterfeits. "Without intellectual property right protection, there cannot be homegrown innovation," Wu said. "Many of our businesses manufacture but don't innovate. We must be crystal clear that our country still has far to go in protecting intellectual property rights." US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said on Wednesday the US was not satisfied with the mainland's progress on piracy, alleging that the central government was one of the biggest offenders. He said the administration would consider bringing Beijing before the World Trade Organization unless improvements were made.