Director General Daren Tang Met with Commissioner Shen Changyu Online

February 10, 2022

WIPO Director General Daren Tang held a virtual meeting with Commissioner Shen Changyu of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on February 5, during his visit to China for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. WIPO Deputy Director General Wang Binying and Director Liu Hua of the WIPO Office in China (WOC) were present.

Mr. Tang expressed his best wishes for the Year of the Tiger to Commissioner Shen and colleagues of CNIPA, and congratulated China on the impressive opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. It has “not only displayed the combination of technology and sports, but also showed China's culture, history and landscape”, he added.

Mr. Tang said that China's commitment to IPR protection has been the role model for the rest of the world and commended China on achieving the twelfth position in the Global Innovation Index 2021. “China of course is the top performing middle-income economy, knocking on the door of top 10,” he remarked.

Mr. Tang received warmly China's instrument of the accession to the Hague Agreement, and said “it is an example of how China's IP development creates value not just for China but also for the rest of the world.” He further added that “it is indeed a win-win for the world”. He appreciated CNIPA's sustained efforts in promoting this significant and major development for the global design system. “The dream we have had for many years is finally coming alive,” he said, “and it will be a game changer for the Hague System”.

Mr. Tang mentioned that the Guidelines for Building a Powerful Intellectual Property Nation (2021-2035) and the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan on IP share a concept which is very much compatible and consistent with the WIPO's Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2022-2026, that is, “to use IP as a powerful catalyst to improve people's lives”. As WIPO sees a promising future in China's innovation-driven development, he committed to strengthening cooperation with CNIPA as an important partner and looked forward to exploring further ways to broaden and deepen the relationship with China.

Commissioner Shen briefed the recent IP developments in China. He said that China's accession to the Hague Agreement demonstrated China's commitment to multilateralism and opening up. With the support of WIPO, China stands ready to implement the Hague Agreement earnestly.

Commissioner Shen commended WIPO's work under Mr. Tang's leadership, and said that cooperation between WIPO and CNIPA has been extensive and fruitful. China would further participate in the global IP governance under the framework of WIPO led by Mr. Tang, working jointly towards a more open, inclusive, balanced and effective global IP ecosystem.

Viewing the WOC as an extension of WIPO in China, both Mr. Tang and Commissioner Shen expressed their hopes for WOC to be a vanguard of WIPO's efforts to engage with China and bring alive the new WIPO vision and mission for the Chinese people.