December 17, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 22, 1424

GENEVA, Dec 16: China’s trading partners gave it mixed marks in an annual review on Tuesday, welcoming moves to adapt economic policies to World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms, but complaining of problems in areas such as patent protection.

China, the world’s fastest growing major economy, joined the WTO at the end of 2001. Under its entry agreement it has eight years in which to comply fully with all the rules of the Geneva-based body.

“Our assessment is that things have gone relatively smoothly,” a US envoy was quoted by trade officials as telling a closed-door session of the WTO’s executive General Council.

The envoy pointed to progress in reducing quotas on imports and in cutting the minimum capital requirements for foreign firms wanting to enter the insurance sector.

But on the negative side, China was still not doing enough to enforce rules on protecting intellectual property rights and patents, the trade official quoted the envoy as saying.

US officials have said about 90 percent of all software, music and movies in China are pirated, with counterfeit DVDs of the latest Hollywood blockbusters selling for less than $1.—Reuters