On November 14, ceremonies for the 16th China (Wuxi) International Design Expo & the 21st WIPO-CNIPA Award for Chinese Outstanding Industrial Design were held in Wuxi. This is the first time for the two events to be combined. CNIPA Commissioner Shen Changyu and relevant leaders of Jiangsu Province attended the opening ceremony and presented awards to the winners. WIPO Director General Daren Tang, addressed the conference via video link. Liu Hua, Director of the WIPO China Office, attended the ceremony.

In his speech, Shen pointed out that as structural reforms on the supply side deepen in China, "made in China" is becoming "created in China," "designed in China," "intelligently made in China" and "refined in China." General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed repeatedly the need to build a manufacturing power, and design is becoming more important in product R&D and marketing in the manufacturing industry, Shen added. Based on national strategic needs, the CNIPA has been strengthening the protection of industrial design, in an effort to elevate China’s industries to the high end of global industry and value chains. He hopes that various participants can fully leverage the Expo to jointly promote the upgrading of design and manufacturing to bolster economic and social development and meet the public’s demands for higher living standards.

Established in 1989, the patent awards aim to encourage innovation in China. Over the past decades, China has built a high-efficiency and modern intellectual property ecosystem. He hopes that Chinese entrepreneurs and innovators can commercialize their intellectual property rights, and WIPO is willing to continue to maintain cooperation with China in intellectual property and innovation, Daren Tang said.

At the Ceremony for the 21st WIPO-China Award for Chinese Outstanding Industrial Design, Hu Wenhui, Deputy Director and Director General of the General Affairs Office of the Patent Office of the CNIPA, announced the awards. Participating leaders presented awards to 10 winners.

Shen and his delegation also visited the offline special exhibition area and listened to the introduction of some industrial design projects. This year's Wuxi Design Expo upgraded its online expo platform and held three high-end industry forums, namely the "Innovative Design Forum," "Design and Intellectual Property Protection Forum" and "Additive Manufacturing Industry Technology Innovation Forum," in an effort to attract professional audiences for multi-industry communication and allow visitors a closer look at the designs. Participating leaders jointly announced the opening of the Expo. (Translated from CNIPA Website Chinese Version)