May 03, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1428

BRUSSELS, May 2: The European Union is “watching very closely” WTO consultations between Washington and Beijing over copyright piracy and is demanding “results” from the Chinese, a European Commission spokesman said on Wednesday.

Commission spokesman Peter Power said the EU had joined the US case against China at the World Trade Organisation as an observer, as several other countries had done.

“We are watching very closely. This is of enormous importance for the EU as for the US,” Power said. “Consultations must yield results now.”

Last month, the United States formally lodged a complaint against China at the World Trade Organisation over copyright piracy, with fake DVDs and counterfeited luxury goods adding to existing tensions between the trading giants.

Consultations with Beijing are under way with the aim of resolving the dispute, but if they fail a WTO panel could then be requested to referee the matter.

—AFP