On April 13th, ASEAN-China Intellectual Property Cooperation Conference, sponsored by the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of China, had a grand opening in Beijing. China's SIPO Director Tian Lipu and WIPO Director General Francis Gurry attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

 "The ASEAN-China Intellectual Property Cooperation Conference was held to implement the ‘ASEAN -China Memorandum of Understanding on Intellectual Property Cooperation' signed last year." Tian Lipu said in his speech, SIPO had always given its priorities to friendly relations and cooperation with ASEAN member states. ASEAN-China Intellectual Property Rights Seminars were held two times in 2005 and 2008 respectively, which achieved good responses. Tian stressed that strengthening ASEAN-China IP cooperation would not only promote the sound and coordinated development for China's and ASEAN member states' IP system, but spur and increase scientific and technological innovation capacity, create a good regional investment environment, and promote economic prosperity and trade. It would also be of great importance to the consolidation, expansion and deepening of ASEAN-China strategic partnership so as to achieve the comprehensive cooperative goal of common development, a win-win situation, regional peace and prosperity.

WIPO Director-General Francis Gurry expressed that in the 21st century world economic power and growth momentum lies in Southeast Asia. The meeting was of great significance for China and ASEAN member countries to share experience in intellectual property field and promote economic development through innovation. Francis Gurry stressed that although China's patent system only had a history of as short as 25 years, China's achievements in intellectual property was remarkable. China's PCT international patent applications had ranked fifth in the world. SIPO had become the world's third largest patent office. All these successful experiences could provide invaluable insights for ASEAN member countries for their development of intellectual property right.

More than 40 senior representatives from ten ASEAN member countries' IP offices attended the meeting. During the one day and a half meeting, participants and representatives from SIPO had an in-depth exchanges and discussions on how to build up IP system, how to strengthen China-ASEAN cooperation in intellectual property, and other issues of common concern.