China pledged to improve its monitoring of intellectual property rights in trade talks with the U.S., as American officials called on the world's second biggest economy to abide by international rules, news from Bloomberg.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan's promise to create and lead an office focused on protecting intellectual property rights was a "step in the right direction," U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson said in an interview yesterday with Bloomberg Television after the 22nd U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meeting in Chengdu.

"There's no question that intellectual property rights have not been respected for the most part here in China," Bryson said. "We think this is a step in the right direction but there is a long ways to go in having intellectual property rights consistently and broadly recognized in China."

Bryson said earlier in the day that many in the American business community and in Congress are "moving toward a more negative view of our trading relationship" that can only be changed through addressing trade concerns. Wang said his government has made progress in fighting intellectual property violations and called on the U.S. to increase exports of high-tech products.

President Barack Obama on Nov. 19 concluded a nine-day Asian trip in which he emphasized the need for China, the world's fastest-growing economy, to "play by the rules" on trade and territorial disputes. He met separately with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and discussed currency issues and business practices.