State Councilor Wang Yong attended the launch ceremony of the 2018 National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Publicity Week in Beijing on April 20.

Wang stressed the need to steadily promote the reform of IPR institutions, empower the country with IPR, and improve its protection and utilization to promote China’s economic creativity and competence.

Wang said that historic achievements have been made in China’s IPR industry. IPR now plays a more important role in developing an innovation-oriented country and promoting high-quality economic growth.

Wang stressed accelerating the IPR reform and establishing a whole chain of IPR creation, utilization, protection, management and service.

IPR protection and law enforcement should be enhanced, and fines for illegal IPR use be increased to improve the environment for innovation and business, he said.

International communication and cooperation in the field should be promoted, and knowledge be spread to create a good environment to respect IPR and support innovation and entrepreneurship, he added.