On November 5 to 6, the International Symposium on Intellectual Property Awareness for Belt and Road Countries was held in Zhuhai of Guangdong. It was organized by CNIPA and WIPO and co-organized by Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Intellectual Property Office) and Zhuhai Municipal Government.

CNIPA Deputy Commissioner Gan Shaoning attended and addressed the opening ceremony. He stressed that the purpose of the Symposium was to implement President Xi Jinping’s great instruction of “intensifying efforts to enhance international cooperation in intellectual property protection” as well as the outcomes achieved from the Second Belt and Road Forum for International cooperation and the “Belt and Road” IP cooperation. He pointed out that Chinese government pays high attention to the raising of IP awareness and IP protection. Over the years, various measures have been taken to create a cultural environment that respects IP to actively promote IP publicity, education and popularization. As a result, the intellectual property concept characterized by respect for knowledge, enthusiasm for innovation and creation, being honest and obeying law is enjoying popular support, and a good environment where everyone respects, protects and benefits from IP is being formed in an accelerated way. China has achieved good results in raising IP awareness of the whole society and strengthening IP protection, which has been highly recognized both at home and abroad. He said that China is willing to join hands with “Belt and Road” countries, strengthen communication and push cooperation to a new level to jointly promote the IP system construction, IP cause development and economic prosperity of “Belt and Road” countries and regions.

Phork Sovanrith, State Secretary of Ministry of Industry and Handicraft of Cambodia, Vladimir Marić, Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia, Josip Merdzo, Director General of Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina and principals of IP authorities of other “Belt and Road” countries were present. At the meeting, representatives from CNIPA, National Copyright Administration of the Republic of China, WIPO and Guangdong Province, IP authorities of Russia, Poland, Hungary, Singapore and other counties, as well as domestic and foreign enterprises, media, educational institutions and professional institutes of IP gave remarks to exchange and share their experience in raising IP awareness.

The two-day Symposium was attended by more than 140 representatives from China, IP authorities of “Belt and Road” countries and relevant regional organizations, local IP administration departments, WIPO, media, colleges and universities and professional institutes of IP.