BEIJING — China has approved the establishment of a new center to provide quicker services for intellectual property rights (IPR) protection issues in Bazhou, North China's Hebei province, according to the country's IPR authorities.

The first of its kind in the province, the fast IPR service center will focus on offering more efficient IPR protection services for enterprises in the furniture industry, according to the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA).

The center will help cultivate a better innovation and business environment of Bazhou, a major hub of the metallic glass furniture industry in China.

Bazhou has attracted more than 2,000 enterprises in the industry, with an annual sales volume of more than 19 billion yuan (about $2.9 billion), accounting for 76 percent of the national total.

China has made continuous efforts to strengthen IPR protection, with 27 fast IPR protection centers established nationwide.

The NIPA sets up IPR protection centers to address difficulties in obtaining evidence and to reduce the processing times and costs involved in IPR disputes, while the fast IPR service centers are aimed at providing county-level industry clusters with quick IPR review, verification, and protection.