FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    CONTACT:  Donna Thiessen 

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USTDA GRANT SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO PROTECT

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN CHINA

 

BEIJING, CHINA – (May 25, 2006) Strengthening China’s capacity to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) consistent with its World Trade Organization obligations is the objective of a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) technical assistance grant awarded today to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).  The $383,000 grant will partially fund training for GAC management and front-line officers on customs regulations and methods for improving enforcement capabilities.

 

The grant was conferred in a signing ceremony held at GAC’s headquarters.  USTDA Director Thelma J. Askey and GAC Vice Commissioner Sun Songpu signed the grant agreement on behalf of the U.S. and Chinese governments, respectively.  “The IPR training program is an important trade capacity collaboration that directly supports our mutual commitments made at the recent Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting held in April,” stated Director Askey.

 

The training program follows successful USTDA-sponsored technical assistance on customs modernization in China in 2004.  The program will involve IPR specialists from the U.S. government, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, providing a series of seminars on the role of customs inspection and enforcement in IPR protection.  In addition, the training will provide U.S. private sector representatives with an opportunity to provide company- and product-specific information to GAC’s officers, so they will be able to more effectively identify goods that violate IPR protections.

 

GAC selected the Global Alliance for Trade Efficiency (GATE), based in Washington, D.C., to provide the USTDA-funded training and to coordinate the involvement of U.S. government officials and private sector representatives.  In addition to the USTDA grant, GATE will contribute additional resources towards the completion of the training.

Since 2001, USTDA has funded over 80 activities supporting important development objectives in China.  The agency’s China program targets development projects that represent opportunities for U.S. commercial involvement in the areas of transportation, energy, the environment, and other priorities.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries.  The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment.  USTDA’s strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development.  In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

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