Innovation in U.S.-China Relations: The Example of Intellectual Property Rights

Over the last decade, innovation has become an essential strategical element and a key to competitiveness for all the countries now ruled by the "knowledge economy." In order to maintain its leading position, the United States has managed to impose its own intellectual property rights (IPR) regime on the rest of the world through the TRIPS agreements. Although China is now part of the World Trade Organization, IPR infringements are still widespread throughout the country which has become Washington's main target in its fight to protect intellectual property rights. The IPR question is fundamental for the United States both because of the supposedly tremendous loss of expected earnings and because the future of U.S. society, whose socio-economic organization has been modified by the knowledge economy, will increasingly depend upon the respect of intellectual property rights.