WIPO Director General Attends 2018 Annual Conference of Boao Forum for Asia

April 12, 2018

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry attended the 2018 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia on April 9 and 10, 2018. The event theme was “An Open and Innovative Asia for a World of Greater Prosperity”.

On April 8, Mr. Gurry met with Commissioner Shen Changyu of the newly re-structured State Intellectual Property Office of China and discussed ongoing projects between WIPO and China. Discussion subjects included the increasing use of the international intellectual property (IP) system by Chinese residents, as well as challenges that new technologies are posing to the IP legal framework.

Panel speech

On April 9, Director General Gurry spoke as a panelist in a session entitled the “Next Wave of Technological Revolution”. He joined leading experts and business leaders on the panel and noted that IP rules should continue to evolve to better protect and promote technological innovation. He also observed that competition for technological innovation is accelerating.

Opening ceremony

On April 10, Mr. Gurry took part in the Annual Conference’s opening ceremony at which Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech summarizing China’s development over the last four decades and outlining new measures to further open up the country. President Xi reaffirmed China’s commitment to the protection of IP rights.

Director General Gurry also met with senior officials from the Hebei and Guangdong provinces of China.

WIPO Deputy Director-General Wang Binying and Mr. Chen Hongbing, Director of the WIPO Office in China, joined Mr. Gurry on the trip.