BEIJING - China said Wednesday that it hopes the United States will be more objective and fair when assessing its efforts to protect intellectual property rights (IPR).

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian made the remarks when commenting on the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)'s recently released "Special 301 Report" regarding IPR protection. China remained on the office's Priority Watch List this year.

Twelve countries, including China, Canada, India and Russia, were on the Priority Watch List, indicating that the office believes these countries have insufficient IPR protections or enforcement.

"China regrets this move by the US," Yao said in a statement on the MOC's website, adding that the Chinese government has always attached great importance to IPR protection and has made progress in the area.

"We noticed that this year's 'Special 301 Report' has included some information provided by China," he said. "We hope the US can continue to enhance communication and cooperation with China and give more comprehensive, objective and fair evaluation on China's efforts in IPR protection."

The USTR claims that the "Special 301 Report" is "an annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights protection and enforcement".