A leading source for disseminating official Chinese information, China Daily, reported recently that increased emphasis is being placed on training intellectual property specialists, “the most fundamental, core and critical element in helping China become a global center of IPR.”
“As we train more specialists, we plan to optimize the system by paying close attention to education on IPR protection, application, public services and international affairs,” Feng Zhaolong, from the China National Intellectual Property Administration’s Personnel Department, told a news conference it was reported on March 30th.
On April 8th the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said that the “IP culture concept of respecting knowledge, advocating innovation, integrity, law-abiding, and fair competition has penetrated deep into the hearts of the public and provided strong support for building China into an IP powerhouse.”
An English-language daily newspaper, China Daily is owned by the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party. According to 
Wikipedia it is “also known as the Propaganda Department or Central Propaganda Department, is an internal division of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in charge of ideology-related work, as well as its information dissemination system.
Projected 40% Increase in IP Professionals
The publication quoted Feng as saying that China has 690,000 IPR [IP rights] professionals, adding that country’s “goal is to have more than 1 million by 2025”.
Sun Wei, head of the China Intellectual Property Training Center, also told the news briefing that more students will be taught about IPR-related issues.
He said that so far, about two million students in around 1,400 primary and middle schools have learned about IPR through classes, remote education platforms and books.
“We’ll also work with Bilibili, a video-sharing platform popular with younger generations, to make videos that will appeal to the youth, teaching them more about IPR and the skills involved in protecting it,” he added.
A November 2019 article in China Daily reported that “Many schools organize activities to teach IP knowledge, such as debating competitions, summer camps, visits to science enterprises and moot courts.”
“Necessary and Urgent”
While some people doubt the necessity of IP education at primary or secondary school, as it is mainly a commercial field, Li Zuolin, head of the Renmin-affiliated high school’s IP teaching group, said it is “necessary and urgent”.
“I really think it’s necessary to cultivate awareness of IP protection from a young age,” Hua Bing, founder of a Chinese IP information consultancy told the publication.
“When children receive IP education and participate in related activities at school, they may influence their parents at home, which will gradually improve society as a whole.”
According to CNIPA statistics currently 165 primary and secondary schools have been identified as national-level IP pilot schools. Nearly two million students in approximately 1,400 primary and secondary schools across the country have received IP education.
Image source: chinadaily.hk; glassdoor.com
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