China Tuesday reiterated its determination to bust piracy and protect intellectual property rights in the thriving video market.

That determination was demonstrated Tuesday with the destruction of more than 16.4 million pirated video compact discs (VCDs), compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs) and CD-ROMs in the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in South China's Guangdong Province.

Shi Zongyuan, director of the National Copyright Administration, insisted there would be no space for video piracy to grow on the Chinese mainland.

Fifteen giant machines were used to reduce the massive quantity of pirated discs to tiny pieces at a special ceremony in Zhuhai's Sports Centre.

It was the most significant event of its kind to date and a clear signal that China means business ahead of becoming a member of the World Trade Organization.

Most of the pirated VCDs, CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMs which were destroyed were originally made in Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia. They were seized in recent years by the Gongbei Customs, which is adjacent to Macao Special Administrative Region.

Despite the achievements that have been made in anti-piracy, Shi, who is also director of the General Administration of Press and Publications, said that the nation would also continue to pursue more co-operation with the rest of the world to stop pirates and help legitimate businesses in the years ahead.

He admitted that the anti-piracy drive is a long-term and hard task in China.

China seized 29.89 million pirated VCDs and CDs in the first eight months this year.

And a total of 33 cases which involved the smuggling of more than 10,000 pirated VCDs have been successfully concluded since the beginning of the year.

Between 1998 and 2000, the country seized more than 54 million pirated VCDs and CDs.

Most of the pirated VCDs and CDs were seized when they were being smuggled into the mainland in the southern Chinese waters.

And the prosperous Guangdong Province, which borders Hong Kong and Macao and has witnessed the country's largest number of smuggling cases, has become a major anti-piracy front in China.

Liu Wenjie, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs, has also promised customs officers at all levels in the country will continue their great efforts to crack down on smuggling pirated discs.

Senior officials from the Working Group for Eliminating Pornography and Other Illegal Publications, General Administration of Customs, the ministries of public security and culture, State Intellectual Property Bureau, State Press and Publication Administration, State Industrial and Commercial Administration and Guangdong Province attended Tuesday's grand ceremony.

(China Daily 08/29/2001)