GUANGZHOU — China and the United States agreed to boost cooperation on intellectual property rights (IPR) during annual trade talks which concluded on Nov 23.

The two sides will increase exchanges and boost cooperation on fighting network piracy, law-enforcement against IPR crimes and preventing bad-faith trademark filing, among others, according to a Chinese press release after the 26th Session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).

The meeting, held from Nov 21 to Nov 23 in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, was co-chaired by Vice-Premier Wang Yang, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Trade Representative Michael Froman.

Vice-Premier Wang Yang, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Trade Representative Michael Froman co-chair the 26th China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province, Nov 23, 2015. The three-day event ended on Nov 24.[Photo/Xinhua]

The two sides also agreed to boost cooperation on food security, increase exchanges on surplus capacity in the aluminum and steel industries, work together more closely to fight illegal fishing, illegal logging and wildlife trafficking.

According to the release, China and the US also pledged to provide strong protection for business secrets to promote innovation and fair competition.

The officials also talked on IT purchase in the banking sector, medicine, aviation, and export restrictions.

Both sides gave positive evaluations for the outcome of the annual meeting, said the release.