[Opinion] 30th Anniversary of Korea-China Diplomatic Relations: Reflections and Future of 'Intellectual Property Cooperation'

On August 24, 1992, South Korea and China officially established diplomatic relations, opening a new chapter in bilateral friendly exchanges. Over the past 30 years, the two countries have engaged in extensive intellectual property (IP) exchanges and cooperation within frameworks such as the Korea-China-Japan trilateral system, the Korea-China-Japan-US-European Union (EU) IP5 system, and the Korea-China-Japan-ASEAN system, leading to remarkable development for both nations.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), South Korea and China ranked 4th and 1st respectively in PCT patent applications, with 20,678 and 69,540 filings. Combined, their applications account for approximately 32.6% of global PCT patent filings, demonstrating significant progress in the field of intellectual property. In particular, China, as one of the world’s top two economies, has become a global powerhouse not only in economic scale but also in IP scale.

In this context, the Chinese government has recently announced major policies to strengthen intellectual property protection. By consecutively releasing the “Building a Strong Intellectual Property Nation” initiative and the “14th Five-Year National Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization Plan,” China has expressed its determination to become the world leader in comprehensive intellectual property competitiveness by 2035. To establish a legal system that meets global standards, China has revised key intellectual property laws including the Patent Law, Trademark Law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and Copyright Law, and is developing IP regulations to respond to new technological trends such as artificial intelligence (AI) inventions and creations.

China is drawing lessons from the US-China technological hegemony competition and is formulating policies to protect and nurture domestic companies’ technologies to secure global superiority in the next-generation technology wars. Chinese companies have begun to strategically utilize domestic IP protection laws and national IP policies to safeguard their technologies. At the same time, to advance as an IP leader, China is actively joining international agreements such as the Marrakesh Treaty to improve access rights to works for the visually impaired and the Hague Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, demonstrating its commitment as a member of the international community to protect legitimate intellectual property rights.

Based on the IP cooperation accumulated so far, South Korea and China must seek new future collaborations for the next 30 years. As China is South Korea’s neighboring country and largest trading partner, it is necessary to continuously enhance bilateral relations. To protect core technologies and creative content, the South Korean government and companies should leverage China’s strengthened intellectual property protection system and friendly cooperative stance as a foundation. We must actively register our intellectual property rights in China and strategically utilize related policies to respond to changes in China’s intellectual property environment.

Son Seung-woo, President of the Korea Intellectual Property Research Institute