On October 27, the 16th Meeting of China-ASEAN Heads of Intellectual Property Offices was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), presided over the meeting. Suon Vichea, Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC), attended the meeting and delivered remarks. Also present were Ouk Prachea, Secretary of State and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Phork Sovanrith, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI) of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Razilu, Director General of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) under the Ministry of Law of the Republic of Indonesia; heads of IP management authorities from ASEAN member states; representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat; and Zhang Zhicheng, Deputy Commissioner of the CNIPA.

In his remarks, Shen noted that since the leaders of China and ASEAN countries jointly announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership, the two sides have embarked on a path of comprehensive, pragmatic, and distinctive cooperation and development in the field of IP. Fruitful results have been achieved through deep exchanges and collaboration in areas such as IP capacity building and examination practices. Shen emphasized that the CNIPA stands ready to work with all parties to further deepen and expand China-ASEAN cooperation in the field of IP, jointly open a new chapter in regional IP cooperation and development, and contribute to building an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

On behalf of the AWGIPC, Suon Vichea stated that in recent years, the China-ASEAN IP cooperation mechanism has been continuously refined and its scope of cooperation has been greatly expanded, playing an important role in promoting regional innovation and open collaboration. ASEAN looks forward to working with China to consolidate cooperation achievements, deepen mutual trust and win-win cooperation, and jointly foster a higher-quality and more vibrant innovation ecosystem and economic and cultural environment.

During the meeting, participants heard reports from ASEAN representatives on the ASEAN IP Action Plan 2026-2030, as well as from the Chinese side on the Implementation of the China-ASEAN IP Cooperation Work Program 2024-2025 and relevant documents related to examination of traditional medicine patents. The meeting reviewed and adopted the China-ASEAN IP Cooperation Work Program 2025-2026 and exchanged views on IP related to green technologies. According to the new work plan, both sides will further innovate approaches and expand areas of collaboration in IP capacity building, protection and utilization, public services, examination quality enhancement, and digital transformation.

During his stay in Shaanxi, Shen held bilateral meetings respectively with Supratman Andi Agtas, Minister of Law of the Republic of Indonesia; Ouk Prachea; Phork Sovanrith; and Tan Kong Hwee, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). Relevant cooperation documents on IP were signed following the meetings.(Translated from CNIPA Website Chinese Version)