BERLIN, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The eighth Sino-German law symposium, which started Monday in Munich, focused on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, Chinese diplomats said Tuesday.

    The symposium was held as part of the judicial dialogue between China and Germany. Over 100 officials and scholars from both countries participated in the two-day conference.

    Speaking to the conference, Cao Gangtai, Director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, said the Chinese government attaches great importance to IPR protection laws.

    The current dialogue would play a positive role in perfecting the IPR legal system, Cao, who led the Chinese delegation to the dialogue, was quoted as saying by Chinese diplomats in Berlin.

    Cao also spoke highly of the cooperation and exchange between China and Germany on judicial issues, which started in 2000, noting that the move had boosted relations between the two countries at large.

    German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries also addressed the conference, calling for more efforts on IPR protection from both countries.

    Only if IPR is properly protected, creativity could be encouraged and promoted, Zypries said.