BEJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China is expected to ratify international treaties on the Internet with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in the second half of this year, an official said.

    Liu Binjie, Vice-Director of the State Press and Publication Administration, said here on Tuesday that the government had completed drafting the Protection of the Right of Communication through Network, the prerequisite for accession to WIPO treaties.

    The draft, which is aimed at better protecting copyrights, had been submitted to the State Council, the cabinet, which is expected to approve and publish it in the first half of this year, said Liu.

    Combating infringements of intellectual property rights (IPR) on the Internet is a priority for the government, according to the official.

    Copyright infringements accounted for more than 70 percent of China's IPR infringement cases and many involved the Internet.

    The National Copyright Administration had completed the drafting of a report on the legal feasibility regarding China's accession to international treaties and had submitted the draft to the State Council for approval this month.

    The draft would then be submitted to the People's Congress, the legislature, in the latter half of the year, completing the ratification process, Liu said.

    China now has more than 100 million netizens, ranking the second in the world after the United States. Enditem