Innovative businesses in Singapore and the People’s Republic of China will receive a boost in their regional expansion plans, as the two countries pledged their commitment to leverage on the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (SSGKC) as an intellectual property (IP) reform pilot zone with the establishment of a Tripartite Cooperation Framework. The cooperation arrangement with China is the latest of Singapore’s efforts to strengthen links with the world’s second largest economy and largest IP filer.

Earlier today, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and the Guangdong Provincial Government, affirming the three parties’ commitment to collaboration in the area of IP. Chief Executive of IPOS, Mr Daren Tang, Commissioner of SIPO, Mr Shen Changyu, and Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, Mr Lan Fo’an, signed the MoU. The signing was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Teo Chee Hean, and Vice Premier of China, Mr Zhang Gaoli, as part of their participation in the Singapore-China Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the highest level forum between the two countries, where a wide range of bilateral cooperative efforts are discussed.

The MoU establishes a Tripartite Cooperation Framework which will guide the development of SSGKC as an IP demonstration zone. It will also explore new areas of cooperation to support Singaporean and Chinese businesses in the protection, promotion and commercialisation of their IP along the Belt and Road. IPOS will leverage on the Framework to connect leading Singaporean IP service providers with innovative Chinese companies, host high-level IP conferences and provide specialised training in IP management. The Framework will also help position Singapore as the gateway for innovative Chinese companies entering into South-east Asia and beyond.

With innovators in China filing record numbers of patent applications, crossing the one-million mark for the first time in 2015, and Singapore’s internationally-recognised IP capabilities, ranking eighth in the U.S Chamber’s International IP Index 2017,2 the Framework will facilitate the surge of ideas, knowledge and innovation from China to the rest of the world.

Chief Executive of IPOS, Mr Daren Tang, said, “Asia is driving much of the world’s innovation activity. This Cooperation Framework will allow Singapore to contribute to the development of China’s IP and innovation ecosystem, and encourage innovative Chinese companies to use Singapore as a base for launching their products and services in South-east Asia and beyond. We are delighted to work with our partners to build SSGKC into a centre for Singapore companies to engage with the vibrant and fast-growing community of innovative Chinese companies, and as a platform for Singapore service providers seeking to service such companies in China.”