WIPO Director General Meets Chinese Premier

Geneva, May 27, 2002
Press Updates UPD/2002/167

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Dr. Kamil Idris, met with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji to discuss the economic importance of intellectual property, particularly for developing countries, during an official visit to China from May 21 to 23, 2002. The Chinese Premier expressed support for WIPO's activities in fostering greater cooperation among countries, especially developing countries, to promote better understanding of the economic and cultural benefits of effective intellectual property protection.

The Director General also attended the first WIPO Sino-African Intellectual Property Forum organized in cooperation with the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People's Republic of China in Beijing from May 21 to 22, 2002. Dr. Idris said that this was "an unprecedented event in the history of intellectual property". In his opening remarks, China's Vice Premier Weng Jiabao said that the Forum was a "very big event between the biggest developing country, China, and the biggest developing continent, Africa". The Forum was attended by some 100 participants from 17 African countries, China and three African intergovernmental organizations. Participants included ministers, senior government officials, policy makers, academics and representatives from research institutes, the legal profession and industry.

The Forum provided an excellent opportunity for developing countries in Africa to draw on the Chinese experience in strengthening its intellectual property system. It enabled the fruitful exchange of ideas on important intellectual property policy issues and fostered better cooperation between China and countries in Africa. Themes addressed included: intellectual property and economic development, intellectual property and information technology, challenges of the intellectual property system, especially the international patent agenda and reform of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and emerging intellectual property issues (folklore, traditional knowledge and access to genetic resources) and SMEs.

On the sidelines of the WIPO Sino-African Forum, the Director General and SIPO Commissioner, Mr. Wang Jingchuan - in the presence of Mr. Shi Zhongyuan, Minister of the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) and Mr. Li Dongsheng, Deputy Minister of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and other senior representatives of the Chinese intellectual property authorities - signed a framework cooperation agreement between WIPO and the Government of the People's Republic of China. This far-reaching agreement covers all fields of intellectual property. It is the first such agreement to have been signed between China and WIPO and reflects the Chinese Government's commitment to strengthening its intellectual property system.

The framework agreement covers main areas of cooperation including intellectual property and traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore; the patent system, protection and promotion of intellectual property in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), dissemination and use of patent information; electronic commerce, domain names; use of information technology in the protection of intellectual property; promotion of the collective administration of copyright and related rights, promotion of the protection of trademarks and distinctive signs; enforcement of intellectual property rights; and development of human resources in the field of intellectual property, including cooperation between the WIPO Worldwide Academy and the China Intellectual Property Training Center (CIPTC) of the SIPO.

The Director General's visit coincided with the Second Forum on Creativity and Invention - A Better Future for Humanity in the 21st Century which was co-organized by WIPO and the Government of China and took place in Beijing from May 23 to 25, 2002.

Some 200 senior government officials, economic and technology policy planners, academics and businessmen from more than 20 countries discussed the underlying importance of invention, innovation and creativity to wealth creation and economic development in today's technology-driven, knowledge-based economies. Discussions focused on six main themes, namely:

• wealth creation through invention, innovation and creativity (philosophical, humanitarian, employment and development-related aspects)
• inventors, innovators and creators - the intellectual capital of nations;
• intellectual property in a knowledge-based society
• the development of the international patent system
• inventions and innovations - key elements in the drive for competitive advantage
• conditions for successful economic and social use of inventions and innovations.

The enthusiastic debate and fruitful exchange of views which took place during the Forum served to promote better understanding of the relationship between creativity, intellectual property rights and development and their contribution to wealth creation and technological, social and cultural progress. The first such event took place in Helsinki, Finland, in October 2000 when it was decided that the event should be held, on a rotational basis, in different regions of the world in order to further demystify intellectual property and make it more widely understood in all regions of the world.

For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO:

• Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
• Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10
• Email: publicinf@wipo.int.