BEIJING, Apr.13 (China Daily) -- China must establish a more integrated mechanism of intellectual property rights protection that ties in various branches of enforcement and procedures, said a senior official.

The central government has recently called for more stringent IP protection through a series of policies, said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office, at the China Intellectual Property Forum held in Beijing from Saturday to Sunday.

"Stringent protection is a strategic move toward China's innovation-driven development and goal of creating a strong IP powerhouse," he said. "It meets the needs of the country's new stage of development."

IP protection is a complex system ranging from patents, trademarks and copyrights to trade secrets and even new varieties of a plant species, he said, adding that it is a multifaceted issue related to registration procedures, filings, administrative enforcement, judicial procedures, arbitration and mediation.

All these require an improved IP protection mechanism that enables stronger cooperation between the central government and local governments, and enhanced coordination between administrations and the judicial branch, Shen said.

The fields that are closely related to people's lives such as medicine, food and the environment should be prioritized, while emerging businesses such as the internet, e-commerce and big data will also be the focus of IP protection efforts, he said.

IP administrations investigated approximately 87,000 patent infringements nationwide during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), 10 times the number of investigations during the previous five years, according to SIPO data.

Chen Jinchuan, vice-president of the Beijing IP Court, told the forum that the court is exploring a precedent-setting judicial path and fully using the rules of evidence to better protect the rights and interests of IP owners.

Li Bin, vice-president of Sinochem Group, compared IP to the defense force of a country adding that "IP can help a company protect its captured market and also explore new business opportunities".

One of the earliest Chinese companies to go abroad, Sinochem Group began conducting overseas mergers and acquisitions in the 1980s. Since then, its business has expanded to more than 100 countries and regions, where more than 1,200 of its trademarks have been filed.

The company has maintained a double-digit growth in annual patent filings over the past decade.

"It is the common aim shared in IP systems worldwide to respect others, protect ourselves and pursue innovation," Li said. "IP protection is an international rule. Having a consciousness of rules and a global vision is the foundation of our IP work."

China continued its robust momentum in international patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2015, contributing nearly 30,000 PCT filings, an increase of 16.8 percent from a year earlier, and ranking third globally, according to the latest annual report by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Chinese companies took four positions among the top 20 business PCT filers in the world, with telecommunication giant Huawei Technologies retaining its top ranking and ZTE taking third.

"PCT filings from China experienced a more than tenfold increase over the past decade, and its domestic patent applications have ranked first in the world for five consecutive years, which reflects the country's increased IP creation and awareness, and its marked rise on the global innovation landscape," said Chen Hongbing, director of the WIPO Beijing Office.

China has been the most frequent destination in the world for international trademark filers through the Madrid system for 12 consecutive years.

"That shows that the international business community has a strong desire for the Chinese market and continued faith in China's future economy," Chen said.

"It also reflects that China's business environment remains in good condition," he said. "Even with the downward economic pressure, China has remained one of the most appealing markets."