China The European Community has negotiated a customs cooperation agreement with the Government of the People's Republic of China , based on a mandate it received from the Council in May 1997. In the margins of the EU-China Summit in Beijing on February 2004, the EC and Chinese customs representatives concluded the negotiation of this important agreement, which undertakes to combat commercial fraud and counterfeiting, a major problem in China and an increasing threat to the EU economy. The Agreement will facilitate the fight against the growth in the illegal market for designer goods with a 'name' or trademark (counterfeited goods), as well as goods made without paying for the intellectual property rights (pirated goods). It will allow for the discussion of new customs measures to be taken in the context of the security of the supply chain, while providing reliable traders with trade facilitation measures. The agreement was initialled on 6 May 2004 (see IP/04/599) and signed in The Hague on 8 December 2004 (see Official Journal L375 of 23 December 2004, p.20). It offers the possibility to prevent and investigate any offence within the competence of the parties as well as to send experts to the other party's territory in order to conduct enquiries, a major breakthrough towards effective enforcement. Under the CSI (Container Security Initiative) Declaration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel are stationed at the ports of Shanghai and Shenzhen, working with China Customs to target high-risk containers headed for the United States . China Customs officers in Shanghai and Shenzhen are responsible for screening any containers identified as potentially high-risk for terrorism. The Operational part of the pilot project was launched on 19 November 2007 when the customs administrations of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and China exchanged for the first time electronic information on sea containers leaving their territory through the ports of Rotterdam, Felixstowe and Shenzhen (see press release). After a testing period of 9 months, it is expected that the pilot will be extended to other ports in the Community and China. More information on customs security is to be found here. The EU and China on 30 January 2009 signed agreements to strengthen cooperation on protecting Intellectual Property Rights and on preventing illicit imports of chemical substances used for synthetic drug production (See press release). The European Commission and China on 11 May 2009 confirmed their commitment to implementing the EU-China Action Plan on Intellectual Property Rights enforcement, signed on 30 January. They agreed on a Roadmap, which includes in particular: - The type of the data elements on seizures statistics and risk trends to be regularly exchanged;
- A list of ports and airports from both sides ready to participate in the initial network;
- Ways to associate, inform and coordinate with other enforcement agencies in Europe and in China more effectively;
- The inclusion of the business community in the implementation of the Action Plan and joint developments;
- The practical ways with working group and experts group, to ensure active follow-up and evaluation.
For further information visit the web site on China-EU relations.
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