1970-01-01 08:33:27
China and the European Union (EU) have reached an agreement to protect the geographical indication (GI) status of certain farm products sold in each other's market in a bid to safeguard product quality.
The two sides applied to protect ten GI products each, including Guangxi Honey Pomelo and Shaanxi Apples from China, and Prosciutto di Parma ham and Roquefort from Europe, a source with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Thursday.
Counterfeits and infringements against the products will be punished according to the laws of geographical indication, said Aldo Longo, director-general of Agriculture & Rural Development of European Commission.
It is expected to take a year for the application process to be concluded after which product names from specific regions will be protected.
Nearly 700 Chinese products are protected on the domestic market, including Longjing Tea and Shaoxing Maotai, a type of spirit.
Source: Xinhua