WIPO Director General Wraps up Official Visit to China

July 27, 2016

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry concluded on July 21, 2016 a four-day official visit to Beijing during which he held a series of high-level meetings with government officials and opened two IP events organized jointly with the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People’s Republic of China. Discussions focused on bilateral relations and China’s use of intellectual property (IP) to further its economic and development objectives.

During the visit, Mr. Gurry met with ministers and officials responsible for key portfolios that are linked to intellectual property. These included:

State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO)
State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC)
State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television/ National Copyright Administration (NCAC)
Minister of Science and Technology (MOST)
Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
National People Congress
Xinhua News Agency
China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)
Boao Forum for Asia

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry (left) meeting with the Director of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture and Health of the National People's Congress, Mr. Liu Binjie (Photo: WIPO)

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry (left) meeting with China's Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng to discuss China’s increasing strategic use of IP to promote economic growth and the country's innovation-driven economic policies. (Photo: WIPO)

Chinese officials briefed the Director General on latest efforts to promote intellectual property and implement innovation driven economic policies. They also reviewed cooperation between China and WIPO.

Officials expressed continued support for the work of the Organization and said they expected use of WIPO’s IP global services by Chinese innovators to increase.

WIPO’s Director General Francis Gurry giving an interview to Xinhua News Agency. (Photo: WIPO)

China – an emerging IP powerhouse

China was the third largest user of WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2015, behind leaders U.S and Japan.
In the first half of 2016, China’s PCT filings increased by 40%. China’s national patent office is the biggest in the world.
China is also the 6^th largest user of the international trademark system, or the Madrid system for the international registration of trademarks.
China’s trademark office boasts the highest trademark filing activity.

The Director General also gave keynote speeches at the opening of the High-Level Conference on Intellectual Property for Countries along the Belt and Road and the annual Heads of Intellectual Property Office Conference (HIPOC) for Countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Mongolia and Iran.

The former comes in the context of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative which seeks closer connectivity among central Asia, as well as with the rest of the world.

Drawing on historical and geographical ties

Mr. Gurry told the over 300 participants from some 60 countries “The ‘Belt and Road’ initiative builds on historical and geographical ties to offer a wonderful shared opportunity for the economic, cultural and social development for the countries along the ‘Belt and Road.’” He added that IP is an important part of the initiative.

State Councilor Wang Yong also spoke to the opening of the Conference and highlighted the opportunities and challenges for countries along the Belt and Road in the IP field.