China, BRI partners forge closer ties on IP

China and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have increased cooperation in intellectual property rights, with major progress seen in patent applications, an official at the country's top IP regulator said on Wednesday.

Liang Xinxin, a spokesman for the China National Intellectual Property Administration, said at a news conference that China and other BRI economies have seen vibrant patent development on both sides over the past decade, especially in the digital and green sectors.

Liang cited data to show that Chinese enterprises had applied for 70,000 patents in other BRI countries and relevant organizations from 2013 to 2023, maintaining an average annual growth rate of over 20 percent.

Among the applications, Chinese tech giant Huawei ranked first, followed by Xiaomi and Alibaba, he said.

During the decade, the number of patents applied by BRI countries in China totaled 285,000, with an average annual growth rate of 5.6 percent, he added.

As digital transformation and environmental protections increase, patent applications related to relevant industries are soaring.

For instance, during the 2016-23 period, China's green and low-carbon invention patent applications in other BRI countries and relevant organizations rose to 3,637, with an average annual growth rate of 26 percent, the data showed.

"The applicants include traditional Chinese petrochemical enterprises, as well as those focusing on new energy and digital communication," Liang said.

He also said that a high-level IP conference for countries involved in the initiative will be held in Beijing next week.

The event, Liang said, will promote a series of cooperation projects in patent, trademark, geographical indication and copyright fields.

Sheng Li, deputy head of the administration's international cooperation department, said some 450 guests from home and abroad, including government officials, IP specialists and enterprise representatives, will take part in the conference, and join discussions on regional cooperation, green development, digital transformation and value enhancement.

While advancing IP-related matters between China and other BRI countries, China has been participating in formulating and improving international IP rules over the past few years, with an aim to foster a sound business environment for domestic and foreign innovators, Sheng said.

The administration said it has set up 71 centers nationwide to help Chinese businesses deal with IP disputes overseas, providing training and guidance for entities going global and enhancing their awareness and capability for protecting IP rights.

In the first half of the year, the administration helped Chinese entities handle 166 overseas IP cases, and updated and published IP-related information of 14 countries on an online platform.