Chinese President Xi Jinping says intellectual property protection is key part of country’s development plans
- Pledge to strengthen protections at home and abroad comes as Beijing seeks to encourage innovation as core part of growth strategy
- Xi tells Politburo meeting that stronger laws will help protect national security as well as improving business environment
He also said Beijing will also curb anticompetitive activities at home and abroad and support fairer global intellectual property governance, according to a newly released transcript of a speech he made to a Politburo “group learning session” in November.
Beijing is also alarmed by the export ban on technology imposed by the Donald Trump administration, which has highlighted Beijing’s vulnerability when relying on others for critical technology.
Xi said cadres should see intellectual property protection as a “national strategy”, adding: “Intellectual property is the core factor of global competitiveness and has become a focus of many international disputes. We should dare to fight and fight well. We shall never give up our legitimate rights and national core interests.”
In the speech, published in the latest issue of the Communist Party journal Qiushi or Seeking Truth, Xi told the cadres to crack down on intellectual property violations and overcome local protectionism.
