China to enhance IP protection system for new fields and emerging industries

China is planning to improve the intellectual property protection system for new fields and emerging industries, especially artificial intelligence, and push for the formulation of international IP rules in such areas in 2026, officials from China's top IP regulator said on Friday.

"There will be active participation in multilateral cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization to promote the formulation of global IP rules for new sectors and emerging industries," said Rui Wenbiao, deputy head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, while talking about the key tasks of the authority this year to the public.

The cooperation on IP within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will also be continuously deepened. And China will consolidate and advance pragmatic cooperation in multilateral, regional, and bilateral contexts, Rui added.

He made the remarks during the news conference held by the State Council Information Office on the country's latest IP development.

As Chinese companies accelerate their participation in global trade, Guo Wen, head of the administration's Intellectual Property Protection Department, said that foreign-related IP disputes have become pressing matters they face.

"Addressing challenges such as information asymmetry and weak response capabilities among some domestic enterprises, the administration, in collaboration with relevant departments, has strengthened efforts in foreign-related IP protection," Guo said, revealing that positive progress has been made in assisting Chinese companies in defending their rights overseas.

By the end of 2025, 99 overseas IP dispute response guidance platforms across 30 provinces, regions and municipalities will have been established. Additionally, six industry-specific IP platforms have been set up focusing on key sectors such as automotive and photovoltaics, she added.

"In 2025, we provided guidance and consulting services over 4,800 times to address issues such as cross-border e-commerce IP disputes and overseas trademark squatting, recovering losses amounting to 2.75 billion yuan ($390 million) for enterprises," Guo said.

This year, the administration will further intensify efforts to protect foreign-related IP rights, improve cross-departmental coordination mechanisms, and enhance the dispute response guidance network. More importantly, more timely risk warnings and more precise response guidance in key industries and areas such as cross-border e-commerce will be provided, she said.

She added that more experts with an international legal perspective and practical experience will be selected to enhance the ability to resolve complex disputes involving standard-essential patents, trade secrets, and more, thereby safeguarding Chinese enterprises as they expand globally.

Liang Xinxin, director general of the administration's Strategic Planning Department, said that patent-intensive industries are crucial in the development of an innovative nation, serving as key areas for establishing new tracks and cultivating new drivers of growth.

The share of digital economy-related industries within patent-intensive industries continues to rise, with the combined added value of the information and communication technology manufacturing and services sectors nearing 8 trillion yuan, accounting for over 40 percent of the total.

"The added value of emerging industries such as new equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and environmental protection is also steadily increasing, reflecting the acceleration of China's industrial development towards becoming more high-end, intelligent and green," Liang said.

In a recent joint announcement by the National Bureau of Statistics and the administration that in 2024, the added value of China's patent-intensive industries reached 18.04 trillion yuan, raising their share of GDP to 13.38 percent, demonstrating robust growth momentum, Liang added.