ON May 8, the Clinton Administration announced that it would impose punitive trade tariffs on China, affecting exports worth $3 billion, unless Beijing agreed to step up enforcement of a bilateral copyright protection agreement signed in February 1995. The punitive tariffs will be effective from June 17 on a range of imports unless China cracks down on copyright piracy of US video and CD recordings, and computer software. Washington wants Beijing to close down the 30-odd pirate factories producing the counterfeit items in the southern province of Guangdong.