On May 20, 2025, the China National Intellectual Property
Administration (CNIPA) released the Notice on Further Promoting the
Use of Extensible Markup Language (XML) Format in the E-Filing
System, which stipulates that "For patent applications with a
filing date on or after October 1, 2025, electronic applications
shall be filed in XML format if the applicants wish to request for
prioritized examination, expedited examination, Patent Prosecution
Highway (PPH), deferred examination or centralized
examination", and informs the public that starting from 2026,
the CNIPA's E-filing system will be gradually upgraded to only
accept application documents in XML format.
To prompt digitalization of patent examination and improve the
efficiency of patent application and examination, the CNIPA has
been vigorously promoting the use of XML format since 2024, and the
XML filing rate has been greatly increased so far. The CNIPA also
provides a WORD to XML editor on the E-filing
