Rail patents 'do not violate IPR'

BEIJING - The Ministry of Railways has rejected a Japanese claim accusing China of violating intellectual property rights concerning high-speed rail technology. The accusation came after China submitted applications for international patents.

Ministry spokesman Wang Yongping said on Thursday that China had developed the technology, that it was applying patents for, independently. The Japanese accusation displayed a "lack of confidence", he said.

His remarks came after Tadaharu Ohashi, chairman of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, said last week that the company would take legal action if China's high-speed train patents violated contracts signed between Japan and China.