On July 24, 2023, Dr. Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the National Intellectual Property Administration of the People's Republic of China, Ms. Sholpan Abdreyeva, Director of the Department for Intellectual Property Rights, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ms. Rakhat Kerimbaeva, Director of the State Agency for Intellectual Property and Innovation under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Mirzo Ismoilzoda, Director of the National Center for Patents and Information of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Ata Annaniyazov, Head of the State Service for Intellectual Property of Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, and Mr. Esemurat Kanyazov, Head of IP Office of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Parties") jointly held the First China-Central Asia Heads of Intellectual Property Office Meeting in Urumqi.

The meeting was held in a warm, friendly and practical atmosphere. The Parties reviewed the friendly cooperative relations between China and Central Asian countries (hereinafter referred to as "C+C5 countries") in the field of intellectual property (IP) and summarized the achievements of past cooperation activities, and had in-depth discussions on further promoting their cooperation in the IP field, and made the following statement:

1. The Parties realize that the friendly cooperation between China and Central Asian countries is deeply rooted in history, has extensive practical needs, and is based on solid public opinion. The China-Central Asia Summit held in Xi'an, China in May 2023 has achieved a series of important outcomes, opened a new chapter of China-Central Asia cooperation, and pointed out a clear direction for strengthening cooperation in all areas among C+C5 countries and jointly building an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

2. The Parties realize the important role intellectual property has played in stimulating innovation and creation, and in facilitating the economic and cultural development of countries.

3. The Parties agree that promoting the China-Central Asia regional cooperation in IP and strengthening the exchanges and mutual learning among intellectual property offices will enhance the mutual knowledge and mutual understanding between the Parties, improve the IP ecosystem in the region, and have great significance in promoting the common prosperity of the region. Therefore, it is necessary to further promote closer, practical and win-win cooperation between the IP offices of China and Central Asian countries based on the current cooperation.

4. The Parties highly recognize the positive effect of the Belt and Road Intellectual Property Cooperation (BRIPC) since its inauguration in 2016 and are willing to jointly promote the development of the BRIPC cooperation mechanism and pragmatic cooperation.

5. The Parties announce the establishment of the China-Central Asia Heads of Intellectual Property Office Meeting mechanism, taking the opportunity of holding this meeting. The meeting will be held on a biennial basis to provide guidance for the continuous promotion of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in the field of intellectual property.

6. The Parties are willing to strengthen cooperation in the following areas.

-Exchanges in IP strategy and IP laws & policies. The Parties are willing to share experiences in the formulation and implementation, plan and concept of national intellectual property strategy, and exchange information on the latest developments of IP laws and policies, to deepen mutual knowledge and understanding between China and Central Asian countries in the field of IP;

-IPR protection and law enforcement. The Parties agree to strengthen the exchange of experience and sharing of information in the area of IPR protection and law enforcement to jointly create a favorable environment for innovation and business in the region;

-Promoting IP utilization. The Parties will make joint efforts and enhance experience sharing to improve the ability of C+C5 countries to commercialize and utilize intellectual property, to promote the effective use of trademarks, and geographical indications to support economic development and rural revitalization, and to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises;

-Development of IP human resources. The Parties will jointly enhance regional cooperation in the development of IP human resources to support the training of IP professionals in C+C5 countries and improve the capacity of C+C5 IP offices. China will invite officials of IP offices of C5 countries to participate in the Belt and Road Master Program on IP and the Belt and Road Training Workshop on IP and other training activities, and step up the exchange of experience with C5 countries in the training of IP professionals;

-IP public services. The Parties will enhance the exchange of experience in IP public services to improve the IP public service capacity of C+C5 IP offices. The Parties will exchange experience in the development and operation of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs);

-Raising IP awareness. The Parties will jointly conduct discussions and exchanges in raising public IP awareness to share experiences and best practices.

7. Recognizing the importance of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and its essential role in global IP development, the Parties will make joint efforts to promote the better use of the global IP service systems administered by WIPO.

The Parties believe that deepening pragmatic cooperation in the field of IP by upholding the concept of mutual respect, solidarity and mutual benefit will help improve regional innovation capacity, stimulate market vitality and facilitate common economic prosperity in the region, and will contribute to the joint development of an even closer China-Central Asia community with shared future.(Translated by International Cooperation Department)

Source: CNIPA