GENEVA — China is willing to make a greater contribution to international cooperation on intellectual property, said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the National Intellectual Property Administration.

Speaking to Xinhua on the sidelines of a special meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Coordination Committee, Shen said

China is an active participant in multilateral and bilateral affairs within the framework of WIPO to promote and improve the global governance of intellectual property, Shen said.

As the election of the WIPO director-general is approaching, China has nominated Wang Binying, currently a deputy director-general of WIPO, as a candidate.

"The nomination of Ms. Wang Binying as a candidate for the WIPO director general election embodies China's desire to make greater contributions to international cooperation and development in the field of intellectual property," Shen said.

"We hope that all parties will create a fair and just environment for all the candidates, including Wang Binying, in the upcoming WIPO director-general election," he appealed.

Responding to doubts that China might exert its influence over WIPO if Wang is elected, Shen said China has always been a follower, participant, and upholder of the international rules of intellectual property and works closely with the WIPO and its members, he added.

Speaking of China's efforts to protect intellectual property, Shen said "facts speaker louder than words."

Since its reform and opening-up, China has seen its efforts to bolster intellectual property advance rapidly, he said, noting that China has so far established a relatively complete intellectual property legal system in line with prevailing international rules, and joined almost all major related international treaties.

China has also insisted on equal treatment and protection of the intellectual property rights of both domestic and foreign enterprises, he added.

Shen said that China's work in IP protection have been spurred by its global lead in patent and trademark applications for several years running.

According to the most recent statistics, the number of applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty from China ranks second and its applications for international trademark registrations under the Madrid System ranks third in the world, he said.

China's IP protection work brings huge benefits to foreign IP holders every year, he said, noting that China paid $34 billion for intellectual property royalties in 2019.

In recent years, the international community has recognized China's achievements in protecting IP. According to Doing Business 2020, an annual report published by the World Bank, China jumped to 31st in its ranking for ease of doing business and is among the top 10 improvers for a second consecutive year.

Moreover, China rose to 14th among more than 100 economies worldwide in the 2019 edition of the Global Innovation Index, which was jointly released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD.

Wang joined WIPO in 1992. She served as the organization's deputy director-general for the first time in 2009 and was re-elected for the post in 2014.

Shen said Wang is a top-notch expert in intellectual property who developed her career in WIPO and is capable of appropriately managing complicated situations, closing rifts among different parties and coordinating their interests, Shen said.

Working as WIPO deputy director-general for more than 10 years, Wang has strived to provide transparent, fair and effective services for every member of the organization with her broad international vision and open mind, which has been recognized by the international community, Shen said.

Noting that the director general and all his three predecessors are male, Shen said China's nomination of Wang — a female candidate from a developing country — meets the expectations of the international community for more female participation in international organizations.

"We believe that (WIPO members) will eventually elect the most appropriate leader through a fair and just process," Shen said.