Diplomats from 15 countries visited China's southern island province of Hainan to explore new opportunities for cooperation in the burgeoning free trade port.
A total of 25 ambassadors, consuls general and envoys from countries including Madagascar, Bulgaria, Finland, Cambodia, Germany and Indonesia joined the tour, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
These diplomats visited key parks in the Hainan Free Trade Port, such as an international aerospace city, a pilot zone for international medical tourism and an international education innovation pilot zone.
Free trade port construction has been in full swing this year as the tropical island province further deepens reform and opening up and makes institutional innovations to align with top international standards.
Having gained a deeper understanding of the Hainan Free Trade Port, many diplomats expressed their hope to deepen mutual exchanges and cooperation with China to achieve win-win development.
"Belarus is a famous supplier of high quality food products to China, be it meat -- all sorts of meat, beef, poultry and dairy products. That's something where we could cooperate [on] here," said Andrei Popov, consul general of Belarus in Guangzhou.
"We are all ready to strengthen collaboration and coordination with the Hainan government to cooperate and also to promote bilateral relationship and economy," Chhum Bunthan, consul general of Cambodia in Haikou.
Since the establishment of the Free Trade Port, Hainan has been developing four leading industries: tourism, modern services, high-tech industries, and tropical agriculture. Efforts have also been made to accelerate the development of future sectors such as the seed industry, deep-sea industry, and aerospace.
Currently, Hainan is promoting innovation in international education by allowing top overseas universities specializing in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine to establish campuses in Hainan. Education programs established by China and foreign countries are also being launched in the island province.
"I'm very proud and honored to meet students from Cote d 'Ivoire in China, because there is an educational cooperation agreement between Cote d 'Ivoire and China," said Gomun Kouya Bertin, counselor of the Embassy of Cote d'Ivoire in China.
Foreign diplomats explore opportunities for cooperation with China in Hainan
China needs to continuously improve intellectual property system to support the future industries, said an expert on development planning after the country's top intellectual property regulator announced to further strengthen intellectual property protection.
The National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) of China told a press conference on Wednesday that the plan for intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and utilization for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) will be implemented in the near future. It will serve the country's development priorities across all aspects of IPR, including creation, protection, utilization, management, services and international cooperation.
The protection of IPR will be central to fostering comprehensive innovation, high-quality development, and high-standard opening up, as well as economic and social development, according to the CNIPA.
Dong Yu, executive deputy dean of China Institute for Development Planning in Tsinghua University, voiced his support for the CNIPA policy in a recent interview with the China Media Group.
Dong said that, on the one hand, artificial intelligence (AI) should be used in scientific and technological innovation to unlock its potential, and on the other hand, the regulatory framework should be refined to address issues such as IP ownership, recognition of results, and risk prevention.
"We are not simply rejecting or fully embracing [AI]. We need to figure out which areas and links the technology can play a greater role in. We want AI to contribute more to scientific and technological progress, while also preventing corresponding risks," said Dong.
In the digital economy, data has become critical for innovation. Yet issues of ownership, rights protection, and the circulation of data held by platform enterprises remain unresolved.
The plan also explores data IP protection rules to address these challenges.
"Aspects like data definition, trading, and other links all need institutional designs, and the latest plan has made forward-looking arrangements for these issues. It will provide ample space for the development of the data market, the circulation of data, and the growth of data as a factor of production," Dong said.
China needs to continuously improve intellectual property system to support future industries: expert
China needs to continuously improve intellectual property system to support future industries: expert
