China destroyed 6.5 million pirated compact discs (CDs) here Friday, a move indicating its resolve to protect intellectual property rights.

The CDs were crushed at the Ningxi Culture Square in Zhuhai, a coastal city in the southern province of Guangdong, which borders Macao Special Administrative Region.

Officers of Gongbei Customs of Zhuhai have taken tough measures against smuggling of pirated CDs in recent years.

Statistics show that Gongbei Customs officers seized more than 25.23 million copies of illegal publications, including 24.56 million smuggled pirated CDs from 2000 to the end of March this year.

This year, till March alone, Gongbei Customs officers seized 7.41 million smuggled pirated CDs.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2004)