June Xu

China saw several senior personnel changes at the central and provincial levels ahead of the Third Plenum, which took place this week and is scheduled to wrap up today.

Over the past few months, US Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal made a visit to China, China’s IP authorities announced a series of work plans on enhancing IP protection through administrative measures, and judicial authorities released a number of “typical cases” to set referable rulings and guidelines for future judicial proceedings.

Nearly half a year after the introduction of State Council Document 11 (“24 Measures”), the State Council issued Document 9 (“New 24 Measures”), which vows to expand market openings for foreign producers of gene diagnostic and treatment technologies as well as advanced medical equipment.

China has seen several high-level personnel changes at the central and provincial levels over the last few months. On February 7, Wu Qing (吴清), previously the deputy party chief of Shanghai, assumed the role of chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), succeeding Yi Huiman (易会满).

Earlier this month, China held its national Two Sessions, the annual legislative meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Similar to last year, the work report presented at the NPC reiterated China’s commitment to strengthening IP rights protection.