15th China International Patent Fair opens in Wuxi, highlighting high-value patent trading

The 15th China International Patent Fair (CIPF) opened in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Friday, highlighting high-value patent trading and the transformation of technological achievements.

Running from Friday to Sunday, this year's fair features a dedicated high-value patent technology trading zone for the first time, transforming the traditional exhibition area into a "patent supermarket" designed to facilitate technology transfer and trading.

The trading zone focuses on showcasing a batch of scientific and technological achievements and patented technologies available for on-site sale, highlighting technical features, application scenarios and cooperation methods while enabling instant connections via QR codes and on-site transactions.

"Nearly 1,000 patented technologies from 321 universities across the country are on display here, covering industrial fields such as high-end equipment, artificial intelligence and new-generation electronic information technology. These include both major innovations at the cutting edge and highly practical patented technologies that can be readily industrialized," said said Jiang Wei, deputy director-general of the Intellectual Property Utilization Promotion Department of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

"We hope this zone will help more good technologies move faster from laboratories to production lines and the market," he said.

Twenty professional technology managers were invited to provide on-site services to facilitate the transfer of patented technologies. Familiar with technology, the market and trading rules, they offer professional consulting, pathway design, and matchmaking services for both suppliers and buyers, driving more innovations out of the exhibition hall and into the market.

An awarding ceremony was also held during the fair for the 26th China Patent Gold Award and China Design Gold Award.

A total of 30 patents received the China Patent Gold Award this year, spanning technical fields such as high-end equipment, information and communication, biomedicine, and green and low-carbon technologies. Another 10 patents won the China Design Gold Award, covering consumer electronics, industrial products, and lifestyle design.

"The 40 gold award-winning projects have generated cumulative sales revenue exceeding 380 billion yuan for related patented products, with nearly 120 billion yuan in additional profits and 54.5 billion yuan in export value. Many winning projects were jointly completed by universities, research institutions and enterprises, with 148 patents filed globally," said Han Aipeng, director general of the Intellectual Property Utilization Promotion Department of the CNIPA.

"These projects are a clear example of high-quality innovation, high-standard protection and high-efficiency application, turning patents into tangible benefits. They also demonstrate how intellectual property empowers the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation, and how Chinese manufacturing and Chinese design are going global." Han said.

The China Patent Award is jointly established by the CNIPA and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Since 1989, it has been held for 26 sessions, playing a vital role in incentivizing independent innovation and promoting industrial development. 

15th China International Patent Fair opens in Wuxi, highlighting high-value patent trading

New Zealand's ruling National-led coalition has secured a parliamentary majority in the general election, preliminary results showed early Sunday, putting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on course to retain power for a second term.

The Election Commission's tally of all voting places has resulted in 11 "overhang" seats, increasing to 131 the total number of seats in parliament, which normally has 120.

Among the seats, the National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First collectively secured 67, giving the three-party coalition a narrow majority to continue governing, while the opposition bloc of the Labor Party, the Green Party and the Maori Party garnered 57 in total.

The contest between the National and the Labor, led by former prime minister Chris Hipkins, remained exceptionally close, with each securing over 29 percent, according to preliminary figures.

Addressing supporters in Auckland, Luxon said the election was "too close to call," with the final outcome hinging on special votes to be counted. He acknowledged that negotiations and compromise would be needed to form the next government.

The outcome could still change when 700,000 special votes are counted days later. These include ballots cast by overseas voters and people voting outside their electorates, and are not included in the preliminary results, according to the Electoral Commission, which is scheduled to release the final official results, including special votes, on Nov. 27.

The Green Party has won a record 16 seats in parliament. The centrist Opportunity Party has also made a parliamentary breakthrough, projected to win seven seats, preliminary results showed.

The country has nearly 3.8 million provisionally enrolled voters for the 2026 general election, representing 93.6 percent of the estimated eligible population, below the final enrolment rates of 94.7 percent in 2023 and 94.1 percent in 2020, the commission said.

New Zealand uses the mixed-member proportional voting system to elect its parliament. Under this system, voters cast two ballots, one for a political party and another for their local electorate candidate. The government is usually formed by two or more parliamentary political parties.

New Zealand's National-led coalition wins majority parliamentary seats: preliminary results