China should have its say in drafting international rules on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, the top judge handling IPR issues in the country has said.

In the past, Western countries have played a leading role in formulating global IPR treaties - but the situation has now changed, Chief Justice of the IPR Tribunal of the Supreme People's Court Jiang Zhipei told China Daily in an exclusive interview on Monday.

"Chinese judges are now eminently capable of participating in discussions about international treaties on IPR protection," Jiang said.

International patents and IPR protection for music and online works are some of the topics likely to figure in discussions on international treaties, according to Jiang.

And China wants to play a significant role in discussions, he said, citing judges' increasing legal acumen and mastery of the English language.

"China has chalked up remarkable judicial achievements in recent years, and in the process, handled all types of IPR cases," he said.

According to Jiang, Chinese judges are involved in training, and exchanging views with their counterparts from developing countries, and even some developed countries.

"Chinese opinion on IPR protection is given considerable importance by the international community," Jiang said, adding that as a result, the country is the venue for many international conferences.

The 22nd Congress on the Law of the World, which is to be held in Beijing and Shanghai during September 4-10, is a case in point, said Jiang, who was listed as one of the 50 most influential people in the world on IPR issues by Britain's Managing Intellectual Property magazine.

Intellectual Property Law is one of the 22 topics to be discussed during the congress with the theme of "Rule of Law and Harmony of International Society." Jiang will lead China's team for the IPR session.

Professor Zheng Shengli of Peking University, Professor Wu Handong of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and Lu Guoqiang, vice-president of the Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court, will speak at the forum.

Meanwhile, Jiang vowed to strengthen IPR protection in China and revealed that a study on improving judicial performance in the IPR field was launched last month.

With the participation of law experts such as Zheng Chengsi from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the study is likely to be completed by March next year at the latest.

Courts heard about 15,000 IPR cases last year compared to just a few dozen in the 1990s, Jiang said, adding that 3-4 per cent of the cases involved foreign parties.

(China Daily August 10, 2005)