China maps out IP business plan for foreign investors
China has promised to improve IP protection for foreign investors as it seeks to build a better business environment for them.
The country’s State Council announced its plans yesterday, urging governments and departments to build a “legal, international and convenient environment for foreign businesses”.
According to China’s state news agency Xinhua, the country will improve the protection of IP rights, “raise the competitiveness of the research and development environment and maintain continuity of foreign investment policies”.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump asked the US trade representative to assess whether an investigation into Chinese IP theft is necessary.
“We will combat the counterfeiting and piracy that destroys American jobs; we will enforce the rules of fair and reciprocal trade that formed the foundation of responsible commerce,” said Trump at a press gathering.
A statement from the White House claimed that Trump is simply “following through on his promise to the American people to protect their IP so they can benefit from their innovation”.
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce proclaimed that it will “resort to all proper measures” to defend its rights.
In April this year, WIPR reported that China’s police had solved 7,000 cases involving IP infringement in 2016, according to Shen Changyu, head of the State Intellectual Property Office.
Chinese courts heard 136,500 IP cases in 2016, a 24.8% increase, with a total of 3,797 people being arrested and 7,059 being prosecuted, while customs authorities seized more than 17,000 shipments of goods suspected of IP infringement.
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