BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment signed an exclusive agreement with China's largest video distributor, Zoke Culture Group, on Monday to supply Chinese customers legitimate DVD and VCD products.

The cooperation has been hailed as a "strategic tool" in the fight against piracy in China by visiting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

Gutierrez said that he appreciated China's efforts on intellectual property rights and that the partnership will ensure the timely access of authentic and affordable American DVDs to Chinese customers.

Gutierrez is on a business development trip to China, heading a U.S. delegation of 25 entrepreneurs, amid growing U.S. concern about its trade deficit with China.

According to the agreement, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will distribute its products through Zoke's extensive national network and supply China's growing home entertainment market with recent releases as well as celebrated films from the studio's vast library.

Keith Feldman, executive vice president of the American company, said they will sell DVD and VCD products at "competitive prices" in China. But he did not reveal a price.

"We plan to introduce 100 movies from our library to China next year," Feldman said.

Guo Zilong, President and Board Chairman of Zoke, said his company boasts a professional anti-piracy team, which will help the American film studio to expand its presence in China and enhance consumer satisfaction.

In April, May and June this year, Zoke's anti-piracy team worked with local governments to crack piracy cases involving tens of thousands of pirated video products.

Zhang Xinjian, an official with the Culture Ministry, believes the agreement was signed at the "right time", as China's 100-Day Anti-Piracy Campaign comes to a close.

"The Chinese government has confiscated a large amount of fake video products in the past three months," he said. "The market needs legitimate DVD and VCD products to fill the void."

Chinese official statistics showed that in July, August and September, the number of pirated publications confiscated by the government more than doubled compared with the first half of the year.

According to wholesalers of video products in Beijing and Guangzhou, sales of legitimate publications increased by 20 percent year-on-year in July and August.