Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The 14th China International Patent Fair, held in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province from Monday to Wednesday, represents far more than a showcase of inventions - it underscores China's expanding role in the global innovation landscape. According to the Xinhua News Agency, since its launch in 2002, the fair has attracted participants from more than 30 countries and regions, facilitating transactions worth more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion). As China's technological capabilities continue to expand, intellectual property (IP) no longer involves a one-way flow from Western economies to the East - it has evolved into a dynamic, two-way partnership in innovation.

In recent years, China has placed strong emphasis on IP protection and international cooperation. The country now possesses both the capacity and the confidence to play a larger role in the international IP system. This confidence reflects a broader shift - from being primarily an importer of IP to becoming a source of original innovation. In sectors such as artificial intelligence and new-energy vehicles, Chinese enterprises have built portfolios of high-value patents that support their growing competitiveness.

China's progress carries positive implications beyond its borders. According to a report by China National Radio on Tuesday, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Daren Tang praised China's achievements in IP development, noting that its progress is not only significant for China but also an important contribution to global development.

Building on this momentum, a growing number of leading Chinese companies are moving beyond the mere accumulation of IP, increasingly learning to strategically manage and commercialize their technological innovations. This approach not only encourages further innovation but also fosters mutually beneficial partnerships with international counterparts. In this way, IP-driven collaboration is emerging as a dynamic new frontier of globalization.

Yet this emerging frontier of globalization faces serious challenges. Some Western economies - once firm defenders of the IP system - have shifted course in response to the rapid technological rise of China and other developing countries. By adopting unilateral measures and protectionist policies, they are undermining the established IP framework, in an attempt to suppress competitors and preserve or regain their own technological advantage. Such actions risk destabilizing global technology supply chains and threaten the collaborative networks that have long sustained innovation.

In recent times, the US has flouted WTO rules, disrupting the global technology supply chain. Meanwhile, some discussions reportedly taking place within the EU are also cause for concern. According to Reuters, the EU trade chief and Denmark's foreign minister said on Tuesday that the EU is looking into setting pre-conditions for Chinese companies investing in Europe, including transfers of technology and know-how. Measures of this kind risk further fragmenting global innovation networks and complicating cross-border collaboration.

Amid rapid technological progress in China and other developing countries, Western economies should consider how best to access and utilize these emerging technologies on a fair, reasonable, and mutually beneficial basis. The full benefits of international technology exchange can only be realized through equitable, rules-based cooperation. By contrast, attempts to compel technology transfer undermine collaboration and ultimately backfire on the very parties seeking to enforce them.

However, even in the face of these challenges, the strong demand for cross-border collaboration in technology and related IP, at both the practical and industrial levels, cannot be overlooked. Overcoming current obstacles will require international economic policies that strengthen IP protection, foster innovation, promote technology collaboration, and support healthy competition.

Technological progress in China and some other developing countries is advancing rapidly. These innovations have become a vital component of global technological development, contributing positively to the world economy and helping to narrow economic and technological gaps. The continued evolution of the global IP system should take into account the needs of developing countries, protect their emerging innovations, encourage fair and constructive competition, and sustain the vitality of global technological innovation.

China has long been committed to protecting IP, and the 14th China International Patent Fair provides a clear insight into the country's accelerating progress in this area. With the ability to safeguard IP effectively, China is actively contributing to the international IP system and helping to promote rules-based cooperation and foster global innovation.