AFP, BEIJINGChina voiced regret over the EU’s decision to lodge an intellectual property rights complaint at the WTO, just as Beijing is embroiled in a similar dispute with Washington. The EU brought the challenge to the WTO on Friday, accusing Beijing of unfairly requiring foreign firms to hand over their technology to Chinese companies to do business in China. “China expresses regret over the EU launching the complaint and will properly handle it according to the WTO dispute settlement procedures,” the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement published late on Sunday. US allegations that China steals company secrets are at the heart of the ongoing trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies. Washington on March 23 launched its own WTO challenge over alleged Chinese intellectual property breaches.

Source: Taipei Times June 04, 2018 15:56 UTC