The trademark environment optimization of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region ranked first in China as of Aug 5, 2022, Xu Wenwei, director of the Intellectual Property Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, announced during an Aug 5 press conference.

Guangxi in recent years has been enhancing international communication and cooperation and helping enterprises protect their trademarks in overseas markets. Currently, Guangxi's international trademark registrations are under protection in 118 countries and regions.

Xu noted that the region has increased the opening-up and cooperation level of IP in the first half of 2022 and has set up China's first overseas IPR protection assistance workstation in Indonesia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone and released the first IPR protection assistance group standards.

Services have been provided for major enterprises, especially specialized, characteristic, emerging, and export-oriented enterprises. The region has now provided services for 344 enterprises.

The region has been strengthening communication and cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization to deepen IP exchanges and cooperation with RCEP member countries via platforms such as the China-ASEAN Expo.

Services such as IP searching, information analysis and warning are available for small and medium-sized enterprises in ASEAN to help boost the development of China-ASEAN IP trade market.

Guangxi received 30,481 valid invention patents in the first half of 2022 and 432,500 valid trademarks. In the award list of the 23rd China Patent Award released on July 22, eight patents from Guangxi were included, one of which won the golden prize, the highest award available.