On the afternoon of December 3, 2019, the 26th CNIPA-JPO Heads Meeting was held in Kobe, Japan. CNIPA Commissioner Shen Changyu and JPO Commissioner Matsunaga Akira attended the meeting.

Shen Changyu remarked that China and Japan are neighbors linked by a strip of water. CNIPA and JPO are important partners of each other and have achieved fruitful outcomes in bilateral IP cooperation over the years. At present, the sound and steady relations between the two countries have also provided a favorable environment and opportunities for the practical cooperation in IP between them. He hoped that the two offices could comprehensively strengthen their IP cooperation and make joint efforts to promote economic development, improve business environment and provide better service for the industrial circles and IP users of the two countries.

Matsunaga Akira said that JPO and CNIPA have a long history of cooperation with fruitful achievements. As the relations between the two countries are getting closer, the two offices should further strengthen IP cooperation and grasp the new opportunities to jointly cope with new IP-related challenges.

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation in fields such as designs, trademarks, automation, re-examinations, human resources, legal systems and application of laws, specified relevant cooperation content for the next year and exchanged views on international IP-related issues of common concern.

After the meeting, the two commissioners signed the Summary of the 26th CNIPA-JPO Heads Meeting. During their stay in Japan, Shen Changyu and his delegation also visited local innovative enterprises and exchanged ideas with enterprise representatives on IP protection and innovation.