U.S., CHINA RESOLVE PATENT FEUD.(Business)

Byline: Martin Crutsinger Associated Press

The United States and China reached agreement late Thursday in a contentious trade dispute involving protection of American copyrights and patents, U.S. officials announced. The agreement came only hours before the Bush administration had said it would begin imposing tariffs of up to 100 percent on a range of Chinese exports to the United States.

As a result of the successful negotiations, U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills said she was terminating the threat of higher tariffs on up to $1.5 billion worth of Chinese imports.

Hills said that under the agreement, China will make significant improvements in …