Senior official reiterates pledge to safeguard IP

A senior official on Friday reiterated the country's commitment to protecting the intellectual property rights of private and foreign enterprises operating in China as part of a broader effort to create a pro-business environment and promote innovation-driven growth.

Liu Jun, a deputy director of the State Administration for Market Regulation, said Chinese authorities attach great importance to improving the business environment for all market entities.

Private and foreign businesses are treated equally in terms of IP protection alongside other market players in a number of rules rolled out since last year to safeguard innovation and clamp down on rights infringements.

He said clear provisions have been made to punish unfair competition such as infringement of trade secrets and counterfeiting.

"We provide equal, lawful and impartial protection for the intellectual property rights of all types of businesses, including private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises," Liu told a news conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing to mark World Intellectual Property Day on Friday.

Liu said his administration has stepped up law enforcement and launched an "iron fist" campaign, in which authorities last year handled 39,400 cases of trademark violation worth 790 million yuan ($109 million).

The administration also addressed 4,600 cases of patent infringement, with a value of over 9 million yuan.

"We also extensively solicit opinions and suggestions, establish and improve communication channels with private and foreign-invested enterprises, and these channels are very open," he said.

At the China International Import Expo, China International Fair for Trade in Services and China-ASEAN Expo, China held a series of international forums on intellectual property protection, inviting representatives of private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises to attend and exchange experiences and practices.

"This has been widely praised, and many foreign companies highly appreciate our approach," he said.

The Annual Report on China's Combating of IPR Infringement and Counterfeiting (2023) was also released at the news conference.

Official data showed that in 2023, national market regulation authorities handled 44,000 cases of intellectual property rights infringement, including trademarks and patents.