China and the European Union will jointly contribute more than US$3.1 million to cooperative information technology development projects over the next four years.

Eight specific projects have been targeted to receive the funds, 50 percent of which will be provided by the EU and the remaining sum provided by European companies and the Chinese government, Ministry of Science and Technology spokesman Chen Linhao said Tuesday.

Chen made the remarks at a press briefing to announce the first ever European information technology exhibition to be held in Beijing April 16 -19.

The Chinese government will also contribute an additional 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million) for a parallel EU-China IT development project planned for the same time period, Chen said.

The value of China -EU joint projects from 1998-2002 totaled about US$21 million, Chen added.

EU Counselor for Science and Technology Jurgen Sanders said that the EU has been encouraged by China’s willingness to cooperate to address IPR concerns.

"We'd like to talk to the ministry while they make the rules... (Currently) there is no official way to do so," Sanders told Dow Jones Newswires.

( April 3, 2002)