The State Intellectual Property Office of China and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on May 21 signed a protocol to improve mutual efforts in protecting copyright and patents.

Other priority areas include the protection of intellectual property in e-commerce, domain names and other Internet-related issues, safeguarding rights of small- and medium-sized firms and the development of human resources in the field.

The protocol was signed during the Sino-African Intellectual Property Forum, which opened on May 21 in Beijing, by WIPO Director-General Kamil Idris and Wang Jingchuan, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office.

In a meeting with Idris on May 21, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said that the Chinese government attaches great importance to intellectual property protection. Although China has achieved some progress in the field in recent years, much remains to be done.

The Premier affirmed that China is willing to further cooperate with the WIPO.

Idris said that China has made great and effective efforts in legislation and enforcement of the intellectual property rights, and in promoting the public's awareness of their protection.

He added that WIPO will help promote cooperation between developing countries in such fields as copyright, remote learning of intellectual property and rights protection among small- and medium-sized firms.