| Vice Minister Yi Attends the International Workshop on TRIPS and Public Health in Beijing |
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| 2008-06-11 13:54 |
| From:MOFCOM Article type:Original |
The International Workshop on TRIPS and Public Health was held in Beijing on June 10. Vice Minister of Commerce Yi Xiaozhun, Vice Minister of Health Shao Mingli, and Deputy Director General Li Yuguang of the State Intellectual Property Office were present at the meeting and delivered speeches.
This workshop was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), and was undertaken by China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, China WTO Tribune Agency and China Pharmaceutical Industry Association. Over 200 meeting attendees were from the State Council departments concerned, relevant industry associations, chambers of commerce and academic institutions, pharmaceutical enterprises, WTO, WHO and other international organizations and government delegates from Canada, Rwanda, etc., conducting thorough discussions centering on the issues of China’s public health situation, the flexibility of TRIPS in the public health sector, etc.
The said meeting is one of China’s specific measures to promote the work related to TRIPS and public health. On November 28, 2007, China submitted to the WTO Secretariat the approval of Protocol Amendment of the TRIPS Agreement signed by President Hu Jintao, enabling China to become one of the earliest WTO members approving the said protocol. As the only specific achievement involving the amendment agreement obtained after the launching of the Doha Round talks, the protocol loosens the patent limits on pharmaceutical products to permit the WTO member states to export the compulsorily licensed patented drug products to the eligible import members. This protocol shall have positive significance to solving the public health problems in the developing countries, and the least developed countries in particular.
On June 11, MOFCOM and the WTO Secretariat also co-sponsored the Regional Workshop on TRIPS and Public Health, in which, officials from the State Council departments participated and discussed the role of the government in the fields of intellectual property and public health.
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