US customs seize Chinese electrical appliances
United States customs have seized huge quantities of Chinese electrical appliances carrying a fake seal of approval, US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said yesterday.
She was speaking after a three-day visit to discuss the mainland's accession to the World Trade Organisation and bilateral trade issues.
She said Beijing had made great progress in improving its protection of intellectual property since signing an agreement on the issue two years ago with Washington.
Two years ago the mainland was the world leader in pirated exports, but a dramatic turnaround has been seen.
In 1996, 15 factories were closed. Since then, 54 underground locations and 10 improperly registered businesses have been shut.
'We are very pleased. This is very impressive progress,' she said.
Since then the counterfeiters had turned to trademarks. US customs have made massive seizures of electrical products with forged well-known US seals of approval.
'Some of these products catch fire. We are grappling with the issue,' she said.
