From "Big" To "Powerful"

China's ambition to become an intellectual property nation in 15 years

Witnessing the great changes to the intellectual property landscape in China

At the end of September 2021, China released "The Outline of Building an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Powerhouse (2021-2035)" ("Outline") . The Outline serves as an important milestone policy through a top-down design at the state level in the intellectual property system, which includes two dates:

• By 2025, China to achieve clear results in its positioning as an intellectual property rights powerhouse;
• By 2035, China's intellectual property rights to occupy leading positions in the world.

Over the past decade, China's role in the worldwide innovation landscape has been evolved: from a labour intensive heavy-industry producer supplying labour, raw materials, plants and equipment, transitioning to a commercial economy, then transforming to a knowledge-based economy, and even becoming a high-tech