China's accession to the Hague System for international registration of industrial designs of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) marks a major development in the international design system. China also acceded to the Marrakesh Treaty at the same time, integrating one of the world's great cultural and literary traditions into the Marrakesh community.

Deng Hongsen, Director General of WIPO, accepted the instrument of China's accession to the Marrakesh Treaty submitted by Zhang Jianchun, the vice-minister of National Publicity Ministry of China and the head of National Copyright Administration of China, and the instrument of China's accession to the Hague System submitted by Shen Changyu, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Commissioner.

China's accession coincided with the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which Mr. Deng Hongsen attended. The opening ceremony was also attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres, the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the heads of other international organizations.

Chinese designers submitted a total of 795,504 design applications in 2020, accounting for about 55% of the world total. China's entry into the Hague System will make it easier and cheaper for these designers to protect and promote their designs overseas.

China is the most populous country in the world and one of the birthplaces of the world's great literary and cultural traditions. The accession to the Marrakesh Treaty means that more than 17 million blind and visually impaired persons in China will have more access to copyrighted works. This will also increase the cross-border flow of accessible Chinese works, making them accessible to blind and visually impaired persons in other parts of the world.

(Source: WIPO China)