The United States filed two new complaints against China at the World Trade Organization on Tuesday over Chinese product piracy and market access for movies, music and books, trade officials said.
  
The Chinese government, in turn, criticized the U.S.'s WTO complaints in a one-sentence report that expressed "great regret and strong dissatisfaction" at the move, the Xinhua News Agency said. The report gave no indication what action Beijing might take in response.
  
On Monday, the U.S. government said it would file two WTO cases contending that Beijing's lax enforcement of trademark and copyright rules violates WTO rules and that China is unfairly blocking sales of U.S. movies, music and books.

The action, announced by U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, represented the latest move by the Bush administration to respond to growing political pressure at home to do something about soaring U.S. trade deficits.

American companies contend they are losing billions of dollars in sales because of rampant copyright piracy.

A second case will challenge China's barriers to the sale of U.S.-produced movies, music and books.

"Piracy and counterfeiting levels in China remain unacceptably high," Schwab said in announcing the new cases. "Inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China costs U.S. firms and workers billions of dollars each year."