A New Round of Policies to Strengthen IPR Protection

The central and local governments are making concerted efforts to strengthen IPR protection. The focus is on strengthening endeavors in new fields， new business areas， and optimizing coordination mechanisms.

China has made great progress in its IPR protection， and a system of punitive compensation for IPR infringement has been gradually established. The latest amendment to the Trademark Law has raised the legal compensation limit for malicious infringement of the right to exclusively use a trademark from RMB 3 million to RMB 5 million.

However， problems such as poor connection between administrative and criminal law enforcement and insufficient coordination in social supervision are still prominent.

In terms of optimizing the mechanism for IPR cooperation， the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council recently issued a joint document. This will be followed by the China National Intellectual Property Administration（CNIPA） and other relevant departments formulating a set of rules and regulations on IPR protection.

China will continue to reform and improve the IPR protection system through a combination of legal， administrative， economic， technological， and social means.

The BRI International Cooperation Forum for Listed Companies Held in Beijing

On December 9， 2019， the Chinese Listed Companies to Build the Belt and Road International Cooperation Forum and Enterprises Transnational Investment Conference was held in Beijing. More than 500 representatives from government departments， business communities， professional institutions， and enterprises in 43 countries and regions attended the forum.

Song Zhiping， president of China Association for Public Companies （CAPC）， delivered the opening address. Song said the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） projects had created a bigger market， a greater global vision and more cooperation opportunities for listed companies. Those companies should further improve their capacity， avoid weaknesses， prevent risks， open up and innovate， make more contributions to local economic development， and achieve mutual benefits and win-win cooperation.

Representatives from listed companies shared their experiences on the Belt and Road projects. According to them， the initiative provided a historic opportunity for enterprises to develop themselves. They should seize the opportunities to do business， choose right investment destination， and enhance international competitiveness to achieve common development.

Chinas FDI Attractiveness Index Ranking Fourth in the World

According to the newly released Report on Foreign Investment in China 2019， the attractiveness index of foreign direct investment （FDI） in China in 2018 was 42.26， ranking fourth in the world， a relatively stable FDI attraction rate with potential.

The report selected 30 countries and regions with high FDI inflows. China ranked seventh in terms of overall business environment for FDI in 2018， and its FDI potential index was 44.67， ranking 10th. The report also shows that in the decade from 2008 to 2018， Chinas business environment index for foreign investment remained in the top 10， with the overall business environment conducive to attracting foreign investment.

Meanwhile， the report points out that Chinas economic environment for absorbing foreign investment is undergoing profound changes. Therefore， deepening reform， opening wider to the outside world， continuing to improve the business environment for FDI， and actively absorbing and utilizing foreign investment are the fundamental ways to effectively cope with the changes.

Chinas Grain Output Hits a Record High in 2019

According to the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）， Chinas total grain output in 2019 was 663.84 million tons， an increase of 0.9 percent over 2018 and a record high.

Based on a national sample survey， the total area sown with grain in 2019 was 116 million hectares， down 0.8 percent from 2018.

Senior statistician Huang Bingxin from NBS said that in 2019， the whole country prioritized the development of agriculture and rural areas， deepened supply-side structural reform to boost agricultural output， and expanded the growing areas of high-output crops such as soybeans.

Huang introduced that in 2019， the grain production presented several characteristics. In summer and autumn， the grain yield grew， while the yield of early rice dropped. The yield of major crops increased except for rice. In 2019， 17 provinces， autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government saw an increase in grain production， with Inner Mongolia and Northeast China increasing by 5.8 million tons， accounting for 97.2 percent of the countrys total grain growth.