COMMERCE CHIEF VISITS BEIJING

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau today met officials of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the State Post Bureau in Beijing to exchange views and strengthen co-operation.

While meeting with CNIPA Commissioner Shen Changyu this morning, Mr Yau explained that under the auspices of the National 14th Five-Year Plan in supporting Hong Kong to develop into a regional intellectual property (IP) trading centre, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been committed to protecting IP rights and promoting IP trading, in line with the national strategy to develop IP.

He thanked the CNIPA for supporting the Hong Kong SAR Government all along. The CNIPA and the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau signed the Co-operation Arrangement in the Area of Intellectual Property in June 2017, and have agreed to extend the arrangement to June 2027 for further collaboration in grasping the new opportunities in IP arising from the national strategy of building an IP powerhouse.

In addition, the CNIPA has been providing technical assistance to the Intellectual Property Department in patent examiner training and substantive patent examination. A pilot project was also launched on January 1 this year for prioritising the examination of qualified invention patent applications filed by Hong Kong applicants on the Mainland.

Later in the day, Mr Yau met State Post Bureau Director General Zhao Chongjiu to discuss further collaboration.

Mr Yau said that in order to seize the opportunities brought about by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, Hongkong Post will leverage the advantages of Hong Kong's logistics network and vigorously promote cross-boundary delivery services, in particular e-commerce products, to strengthen economic development.

He added that Hongkong Post is also pressing ahead with the redevelopment of the city's Air Mail Centre and will utilise its cold chain logistics facilities to develop cross-boundary premium logistics business in the bay area.

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