Source:China IP News
Global crises compel nations worldwide to face shared challenges and responsibilities. Asia, in the post-pandemic era, stands as the backbone of global economic growth. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that this year, Asian economies, including China, will achieve over 4% economic growth, with China continuing as a major contributor to global economic growth. Intellectual property (IP), a powerful catalyst for growth and development, plays a crucial role in improving livelihoods and protecting the planet. During the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024, our China Intellectual Property News (CIPN) reporter had the opportunity to speak with Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), who shared his insights on China's deepened IP international cooperation and its significant role in global IP governance.
"Asia is becoming a major engine for IP," Tang explained. Currently, 70% of IP applications come from Asia, compared to just 50% two decades ago. China not only leads in patents, trademarks, and designs, but also excels in geographical indications. Over the past 50 years, China's IP ecosystem has become increasingly sophisticated and mature, according to Tang.
The WIPO's Global Innovation Index 2023 highlighted that in 2023, China had 24 of the top 100 global science and technology clusters, ranking first globally. In the second edition of WIPO Global Awards, Chinese companies won two of the top spots, ranking the highest among all nations.
"The achievements in China's IP development are neither coincidental nor accidental. First, they are due to the high priority that successive governments and various institutions have placed on IP, introducing a series of effective policies that have gradually formed a very mature innovation ecosystem. Secondly, China has many high-tech and innovation-driven entities that focus on independent innovation and invest heavily in scientific and technological research and development," Tang stated. Recently, the Chinese government has identified new quality productive forces as key drives for future development, a move that favors better inspiring IP creation and achieving innovation-driven growth, which has also become a consensus among several countries globally, according to Tang.
The United Nations' Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 showed that halfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world was still far from the ultimate goal, with more than half of the indicators progressing slowly. What role does IP play in realizing the global sustainable development goals?
"Climate change is a common challenge faced by the global community today. To build a more sustainable and better future, encouraging innovation in technology development and accelerating the utilization and commercialization of IP play a very important role. All nations should unite as one family to face our common challenges," Tang expressed.
In terms of developing green technologies and promoting green innovation, in recent years, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has fully leveraged the dual roles of IP system supply and technology supply. It has introduced a series of policy measures aimed at promoting green technology innovation and utilization, strongly supporting the green transformation and upgrading of industries. The Statistical Analysis Report on Global Green and Low Carbon Technology Patents (2023) showed that from 2016 to 2022, the total number of global green and low-carbon patent grants reached 558,000, with China accounting for 206,000, or 36.8% of the total, becoming a significant force in driving global green and low-carbon technology innovation.
Tang outlined that WIPO has designated the theme for the 24th World IP Day as "IP and the Sustainable Development Goals: Building our common future with innovation and creativity" to call on the global community to further harness the power of innovation and creativity, tackle shared challenges and bring the realization of sustainable development goals back on track.
"In this challenging and difficult era, our belief is that IP can not only serve as a bridge between ideas and the world, but also as a bridge between different nations and cultures," Tang said. Currently, China has transformed into a powerhouse of technological innovation and creativity, gradually building an efficient and modern IP system. WIPO is eager to continue strengthening exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese government, and build a more open and inclusive global IP ecosystem, using the power of IP to improve livelihoods and address common challenges worldwide, according to Tang.
