US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and US Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan for the 19th US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) in California to discuss agreements on IP rights, among other issues.

The JCCT was founded in 1983 and serves as a platform for governments to discuss trade and investment issues. The leaders also addressed other IP-related topics, including healthcare, agriculture, government procurement and services.

Specifically, both countries agreed to : 1) further the work of the JCCT IPR Working Group, which met September 4 to 5 in Beijing, by holding regular meetings; 2) foster discussions between responsible officials regarding China's patent law amendments, pharmaceutical data protection and the Memorandum of Cooperation on Strengthened Cooperation in Border Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights ; and 3) sign two IPR memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on strategic cooperation to improve the administration and effectiveness of copyright and trade mark protection and enforcement, as soon as possible but no later than the end of 2008.

The MOUs will be signed between the USPTO, the US Copyright Office, China's National Copyright Administration and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The representatives also promised to continue collaboration on ways to curb the sale of bulk chemicals to downstream drug counterfeiters.

Regarding the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which aims to open up the market for government purchases of goods to international competition, China promised to submit an improved offer to the WTO as soon as possible.

The country's accession to the GPA would provide US companies access to a $35 billion per year government procurement market in China.

Managing IP's October issue will include an article by former US IP attaché to China, Mark Cohen, reviewing recent US-China relations and IP developments.