Anticipating China to Continue to Progress and to Prosper as a Dynamic Engine for Innovation and Creativity in the World

September 26, 2021

The 2021 Forum on National Affairs was held in Beijing on September 23-24, 2021, co-hosted by the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Mr. Gao Yu, Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council and the Chairman of the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, Mr. Wang Zhijun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Mr. Xu Yanhao, Deputy Party Secretary of China Association for Science and Technology, Ms. Gao Yan, Chairperson of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade gave opening remarks. Mr. Zhao Bing, Deputy Director of the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, presided over the opening ceremony. Mr. Gu Shengzu, Vice Chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, delivered a keynote speech. Ms. Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of WIPO, sent a congratulatory letter to the Forum. Ms. Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China (WOC), attended the Opening Ceremony as invited.

Highlights of Congratulations from Ms. WANG Binying, Deputy Director General of WIPO:

Themed Accelerating the Shaping of a New Development Paradigm, the Forum provides an important occasion to promote the new development paradigm and advance high-quality development in China, at a time of crisis and opportunities.

More recently, a shift to digital, accelerated by the pandemic, has transformed the way we work, live and play. As a result, innovation, creativity and IP are now more central than ever to the lives of everyone in the world. We need to think how best we could foster post pandemic economic recovery, and put the world on an environmentally sound footing.

As reflected in the 2021 edition of the WIPO Global Innovation Index, just released three days ago, China is advancing steadily along its path of economic growth and development through innovation, creativity and IP. Being still the only one developing country in the upper middle-income group with the average in all GII pillars, China ranks 12th in the GII 2021, advancing two places compared to its 14th position in the GII 2020.

Along with these remarkable achievements, China’s 14th Five-Year Plan for development will open a new phase for the growth of a more robust ecosystem that incentivizes innovation and creativity in China’s increasingly innovation- and digital-driven economy.

WIPO anticipates China to continue to progress and to prosper as a dynamic engine for innovation and creativity in the world.

As the specialized agency of the United Nations on intellectual property, WIPO is the global forum for IP services, policy, information and cooperation. WIPO’s Director General Daren Tang together with its Member States have outlined the new Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) 2022-2026, aiming for a world where innovation and creativity from anywhere is supported by intellectual property for the good of everyone, in particular, for SMEs, youth and women. To deliver this effectively, WIPO will work towards the construction of a more inclusive, balanced, vibrant and forward-looking IP ecosystem that enables innovation and creativity through IP for a better and more sustainable future.

In this regard, WIPO notes with appreciation China’s consistent policy on innovation and IP over the last decades. WIPO also stands ready to support China’s efforts in enhancing IP protection in the process of building a new development paradigm aiming for high-quality and innovation driven development.

The WIPO Office in China (WOC), as an extension of WIPO in China, will continue to strengthen cooperation and coordination with all stakeholders in China and provide more targeted, more timely and higher-quality IP services.

About the 2021 Forum on National Affairs

The 2021 State Council Forum was co-organized by the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the China Association for Science and Technology and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. With the theme of "accelerating the shaping of a new development paradigm", the forum launched a dialogue on accelerating science and technology innovation and development, facilitating sound interaction between supply and demand, promoting coordinated urban-rural development, and promoting opening-up at a higher level. Through online and in-person participation, heads of relevant departments of the State Council, counsellors of the State Council, experts and scholars, and representatives of international organizations and enterprises focused on topics including making breakthroughs in critical technologies and promoting the commercialization and large-scale application of new technologies; optimizing the supply structure and building a complete domestic demand system; speeding up urbanization and promoting rural revitalization; further expanding market access and promoting the high-level development of the Belt and Road Initiative, making suggestions and contributing wisdom and strength to explore the shaping of a new development paradigm.