The 9th China Patent Annual Conference (CPAC) on the theme of "Patent, Boosting Opening-Up" was held in Beijing on 30-31 August 2018. The opening addresses were made by China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) commissioner Mr. Shen Changyu and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) director general Mr. Francis Gurry.

This year's CPAC featured keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and exhibitor workshops, covering such topics as "entrepreneurial spirit and IP", "how companies may enhance their competitiveness by establishing integrated IP strategies", "patent litigation under different juridical systems", "opportunities and challenges posed by Internet of Things (IOT) to patent monetisation", and "new tools and techniques for performing comprehensive IP search". The conference also hosted other activities including a patent information service and product exposition, new book releases, an IP operation competition, and a high-value patent creation competition. 

The conference brought together 100-plus guest speakers from WIPO; CNIPA; European Patent Office (EPO); IP authorities of belt and road countries including Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and Pakistan; domestic and foreign enterprises such as Midea, Gree, Qualcomm, Caterpillar, and Siemens; IP service providers; and research and academic institutions. They shared with the 10,000-plus participants of the conference on ways to advance corporate development while facilitating China's further opening up by means of IP, application of new tools and technologies, and development of integrated IP strategies.