Recently, the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation issued the 2026 Key Priorities for Intellectual Property Work, outlining 61 key tasks across 11 focus areas. Centered on empowering the development of new quality productive forces and advancing the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, the document sets a clear direction for intellectual property (IP) development in the province during the upcoming “15th Five-Year Plan” period.

Guangdong will further strengthen the overall coordination and deployment of IP initiatives, ensure the high-quality formulation of the 15th Five-Year IP Plan, and advance the joint development of a world-class IP powerhouse in the Greater Bay Area through central–provincial collaboration. Efforts will also be made to implement key IP-related projects under the Greater Bay Area talent hub initiative to a high standard.

The province will continue to enhance the core competitiveness of key innovation clusters, including Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou and Macao–Zhuhai. Innovation entities are encouraged to strengthen their international patent overall arrangement through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system. Patent navigation will be conducted for key industries, alongside the provision of rapid-response and tailored IP services to major stakeholders.

Guangdong will reinforce IP creation and strategic reserves in critical technological fields, strengthen patent incentive and reward mechanisms, and promote the integration and efficiency of IP across key industrial chains. It will also explore cross-regional patent pre-examination mechanisms, deepen the implementation of trademark and brand strategies, and strictly regulate illegal practices in the IP agency sector.

Efforts will be made to significantly enhance IP protection, including strengthening administrative enforcement, improving protection mechanisms for major events, and advancing fast-track coordinated protection systems. Guangdong will accelerate the development of IP protection institutions, enhance dispute resolution mechanisms, and reinforce cross-regional and foreign-related IP protection, thereby providing clearer guidance for enterprises “going global.”

Focusing on the integration of innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains, Guangdong will accelerate the commercialization and utilization of IP. Measures include optimizing incentive policies, improving IP operation and service systems, facilitating the matching of patent supply and demand, and fostering and promoting patent-intensive products.

The province will further refine the public IP service system, carry out targeted initiatives to support enterprises, enhance the service capacity of IP service windows, promote efficient utilization of data resources, strengthen supervision of the IP service industry, and support its expansion and upgrading.

Guangdong will strengthen the cultivation and protection of geographical indication (GI) products, promote the development of national GI protection demonstration zones, deepen financial support for GI industries, and intensify enforcement against infringement and illegal activities.

The province will deepen IP cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, actively participate in international exchanges and award programs, and continue to foster an enabling environment for high-quality development.

Guangdong will promote a number of flagship and high-impact reform projects, including comprehensive IP reforms in the China–Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, pilot programs for integrated financial ecosystems, and initiatives on data-related IP protection and utilization. It will also fully implement streamlined government service reforms, establish high-level IP think tanks, and strengthen talent cultivation.

Efforts will continue to advance IP demonstration programs, improve grassroots governance capacity, and enhance the integration of IP with economic and social development. At the same time, the Party’s overall leadership over IP work will be strengthened to provide robust political support for high-quality development.

Going forward, the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and subsequent plenary sessions, as well as the work arrangements of the provincial government and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). In line with the objectives of Guangdong’s high-quality development agenda, the authority will coordinate and advance the effective implementation of all key tasks, elevating Guangdong’s position as a leading IP powerhouse in a world-class bay area and contributing to the development of a strong IP nation with Chinese characteristics.