WIPO Director General Daren Tang undertook an official visit to China from March 25-28, 2025, holding talks with Government officials and meeting with industry and technology leaders. The visit also included Mr. Tang’s participation in the 2025 Zhongguancun (ZGC) Forum.
Bilateral Talks
Talks with Mr. Ma Zhaoxu, Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation, with Mr. Tang updating about the two successful Diplomatic Conferences WIPO held last year, and which saw Member States adopt the Riyadh Design Law Treaty and the WIPO Treaty on IP, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge. The Vice Minister welcomed these developments and signaled China’s continued support for multilateralism at WIPO.
During a visit to the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Tang met with Minister He Rong. The Minister briefed Mr. Tang on the latest legislative developments around IP in China. They also discussed the importance of arbitration and mediation services in resolving IP disputes, concluding their meeting by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation, which will broaden the use of arbitration and mediation services for IP disputes in China through the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Shanghai Service.
In dialogue with Deputy Head Hu Heping of the Publicity Department of the CPCCC, responsible for the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC), Mr. Tang acknowledged the growing value of the creative industries. In China, the digital music industry is now worth 90 billion Yuan and the film industry 50 billion Yuan – part of a creative sector that accounts for over 7% of GDP and 16 million jobs.
Mr. Tang also met Minister of Agriculture Han Jun. Talks focused on exploring avenues for practical cooperation, including how WIPO can assist the agriculture sector to leverage the latest industrial and digital technologies. The Minister acknowledged the support of WIPO and UPOV in these areas.
WIPO-CNIPA Collaboration
At the headquarters of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Mr. Tang joined Commissioner Shen Changyu in discussing the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing service efficiency, delivery and customer service, as well as on the latest IP developments in China.
Both sides committed to continue advancing cooperation at the working level through the WIPO China Office.
ZGC Forum, Industry Dialogue
During his visit, Mr. Tang attended the 2025 Zhongguancun (ZGC) Forum addressing the opening ceremony and the Parallel Forum on IP, co-organized by the WIPO China Office. Mr. Tang emphasized the importance of IP in bringing new digital products and services to market, telling delegates, “In today’s world, the challenge is not in finding good ideas but in helping these ideas transform into actual products and services. This is where intellectual property plays a critical role.”
Leveraging IP for economic and social benefit was also a theme of bilateral exchanges with the Mayor of Beijing Yin Yong. Both sides agreed on the importance of taking a holistic approach to innovation, reflecting on the merger of digital and industrial innovation and the fusion of technology and content.
The Forum also provided an opportunity for discussions with industry leaders, including Chairman of the ZGC Development Group Pan Jinfeng and Founder of Unitree Robotics Wang Xingxing. Key topics included the latest trends in IP strategy, including the need to use all types of IP as a portfolio of intangible assets. Mr. Wang Xingxing, whose company specializes in quadruped and humanoid robotics, shared that he personally filed for his company’s first IP application.
Mr. Tang visited Zhipu AI, part of Beijing’s growing AI ecosystem. In dialogue with Chief Scientist Tang Jie and Chairman Liu Debing, Mr. Tang heard about the company’s journey from a spin out from Tsinghua University to becoming one of China’s leading AI platforms. Further exchanges focused on the pace of AI development, commercial application and the growing IP portfolios of companies like Zhipu, which has filed for 200 patents.
Cultural Treasures
Mr. Tang was afforded the opportunity to tour the China National Archives of Publications and Culture. Opened in July 2022, the campus hosts a collection of over 25 million archival and publishing documents encompassing thousands of years of Chinese civilization and culture. Mr. Tang was shown some of the oldest and most culturally significant pieces in the collection, including paintings, calligraphy, manuscripts and scriptures from the Tang and Song dynasties.