BIZCHINA / Weekly Roundup

System to deal with nuclear accidents
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-03 11:01

Low awareness

A lack of knowledge of patents among companies and the country's weak grasp of intellectual property rights are holding China back, a senior official said last week.

Lu Yongxiang, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, warned that a lack of experience in patent applications was an obstacle to China's goal of becoming an "innovative country."

Between 1998 and 2003, 99 per cent of Chinese companies had not applied for a single patent, Lu said.

Free trade

The Chinese premier and the Australian prime minister both expressed hope of accelerating talks on a free-trade agreement (FTA) last Wednesday.

The sixth round of negotiations for a Sino-Australian FTA will be held in Beijing in early September, tackling significant issues such as bidding and offering.

"We have agreed to speed up the free trade area (FTA) negotiations," Premier Wen Jiabao told reporters after a one-hour meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Shenzhen.

Howard said the negotiations are going well and that he remains optimistic.


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