"This means the reproduction and distribution of any audiovisual product must get the consent of the performers concerned, and that has opened a new chapter in protecting performers' rights," said Yu Cike, director of the copyright management department at the National Copyright Administration of China.

Yu made the remarks at the International Workshop on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances and the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which took place in Shanghai on Thursday.

The workshop was organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization in cooperation with the National Copyright Administration of China.

Representatives from 154 countries entered into the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances in June 2012.