A senior official of the U.S. Department of Commerce Alain de Sarran said in Harbin Sunday that the United States is waiting to see concrete improvements in the protection of intellectual property rights in China.

"While we appreciate China's new steps, inadequate IPR protection is still one of China's greatest shortcomings as a trading partner," Sarran, Deputy Director for East Asia and the Pacific, said at a U.S.-China business conference in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

He said the United States is delighted with China's new commitments, but he still wants to see a significant reduction in infringement.

At last month's China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meeting, China said it will require all computers produced and imported to China to have legitimate operating system software pre-installed.

"We are looking for China to impose deterrent penalties and increase the number of criminal prosecutions for IPR violations," Sarran said.

Leading a delegation of six mayors and 17 entrepreneurs from the United States, Sarran attended the U.S.-China Business Matchmaking Conference.

The annual conference, held alternately in China and the United States, aims to provide a platform for Chinese and U.S. businessmen seeking opportunities for cooperation.

Speaking at the conference, Sarran said U.S. companies, especially medium and small sized ones, need to know more about the market in China's northeast region, which contains potential business opportunities as a result of China's efforts to rejuvenate the old industrial base.

Wang Limin, deputy governor of Heilongjiang Province, said that his province is China's key industrial, energy and agricultural base and has solid industrial foundation and abundant resources.

He said the province is building a 921-square kilometer "industrial corridor", which runs through the provincial capital Harbin to China's renowned oil city of Daqing and on to the equipment manufacturing city of Qiqihar.

"The construction of the industrial corridor will bring about huge business opportunities in the fields of energy, manufacturing, agricultural product processing, hi-tech introduction and investment," he said.

The United States is currently Heilongjiang Province's fourth largest trade partner and ranks second among the province's overseas investors.

Source: Xinhua