On April 8, Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), held bilateral talks with the visiting Bemanya Twebaze, Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

Shen introduced the latest progress in China's IP work to the ARIPO. He noted that the ARIPO is an important partner of the CNIPA in Africa. Since the signing of a cooperation agreement in 2007, the two sides have achieved fruitful exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as experience sharing, capacity building, patent examination and informatization. Shen hoped that on the basis of the long-standing friendly relations, the two sides would further deepen their practical cooperation to provide more high-quality and efficient services for Chinese and African innovators.

Bemanya Twebaze highly praised the achievements China has made in the IP field and thanked the CNIPA for its long-term support for the development of IP undertakings in the ARIPO and its member states. He wished that both sides would further expand their areas of cooperation and achieve more results.

The two sides also exchanged views deeply on other issues of mutual concern and agreed to promptly initiate the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program. CNIPA principal officials responsible for relevant departments attended the meeting.(Translated from CNIPA Website Chinese Version)