Nation aims to be global hub of IP protection

Greater efforts will be made in training intellectual property specialists, the most fundamental, core and critical element in helping China become a global center for intellectual property rights, an official from the country's top IPR regulator has said, adding that the country plans to achieve the goal of having more than 1 million IP professionals by 2025.

Talent is the most basic and key element for building a strong IP power, Feng Zhaolong, from the National Intellectual Property Administration's personnel department, told a news conference on Wednesday.

"As we train more specialists, we plan to optimize the system by paying close attention to education on IPR protection, application, public services and international affairs," he said.

"The number of specialists able to register IPR and review applications will also be increased, and it's our hope that they will be able to cover every step of IPR work."

Feng revealed that China has 690,000 IPR professionals, adding that the country's "goal is to have more than 1 million by 2025". More than 50 universities nationwide have established IP colleges, providing strong support for the industry's development, he added.

Sun Wei, head of the China Intellectual Property Training Center, also told the news briefing that more school students will be taught about IPR-related issues.

He said that so far, about 2 million students in around 1,400 primary and middle schools have learned about IPR through classes, remote education platforms and books.

A total of 165 schools have been identified as national level IP pilot schools, Sun added, noting that there are thousands of trained full-and part-time teachers nationwide and several relevant textbooks have been published.

Sun said the administration has developed 24 online platforms offering more than 570 courses, and that they have received over 9 million visits.

The administration will work with Chinese social media platforms to popularize IP awareness and introduce high-quality courses from overseas for young Chinese, Sun added.

"We'll also work with Bilibili, a video-sharing platform popular with younger generations, to make videos that will appeal to the youth, teaching them more about IPR and the skills involved in protecting it," he added.

Xinhua contributed to this story.