China accelerates patent approvals to boost Hainan Free Trade Port

China is accelerating patent approvals to boost the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP)'s global competitiveness, said the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on Friday.

Intellectual property protection has become a key measure of the port's business environment, with CNIPA reporting a sharp rise in invention patent authorizations in Hainan. CNIPA deputy head Rui Wenbiao told a Beijing press conference the move aims to strengthen the region's international edge.

"We have established national-level intellectual property protection centers in Haikou and Sanya, and set up a green channel covering key sectors such as the seed industry, deep-sea technology, and biomedicine for rapid pre-examination, rapid confirmation of rights, and rapid rights protection. The average speed of invention patent authorization has been accelerated by more than 80 percent," said Rui.

Rui highlighted that eight national-level intellectual property public service institutions were established in the Hainan FTP, serving innovation entities a total of 15,000 times last year, and an inventory of existing patents from 31 universities and research institutions across the province was completed.

"Next, we will further focus on enhancing the international competitiveness of the Hainan FTZ, actively align with international trade and economic rules, and support Hainan to pioneer in areas such as cross-border e-commerce intellectual property governance and cross-border intellectual property transfer," he said.

The Hainan FTP is by far the largest free trade port globally by geographical area. China on Dec 18 last year launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.

China accelerates patent approvals to boost Hainan Free Trade Port

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, with both sides agreeing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in various fields and promote the stable development of China-U.S. relations.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump have provided strategic guidance for the development of China-U.S. relations. He noted that both sides should jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and make 2026 a year in which China and the United States move toward mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

Dialogue is better than confrontation, cooperation is better than conflict, and win-win outcomes are better than zero-sum games, Wang said.

Wang said that as long as both sides uphold the principles of equality, respect and mutual benefit, they will be able to find ways to address each other's concerns and properly manage differences.

He urged both sides to make joint efforts to continuously expand the list of cooperation and reduce the list of problems, so as to steer China-U.S. relations onto a track of stable, healthy, and sustainable development and send more positive signals to the world.

Both sides agreed that the meeting was positive and constructive. They agreed to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, give full play to the coordinating role of political and diplomatic channels, support high-level interactions between the two countries, strengthen dialogue and cooperation in various fields, and promote the stable development of bilateral relations.

China, U.S. agree to strengthen dialogue, cooperation in various fields