To promote the healthy development of economic and trade relations with the EU, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on Tuesday announced new plans to strengthen management of geographical indications (GIs) and expedite the implementation of the second batch of 350 GI products under the China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indicators.

As a mark to show the specific geographical origin of a product, GI is widely used to identify qualities related to a product's origin. It is an important form of intellectual property right and a quality guarantee.

As 2024 marks the third year since the signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indicators, China and the EU have maintained close communication and cooperation in the field of GIs while strengthening protection efforts, according to the CNIPA.

The implementation of China-EU agreement on geographical indicators brought tangible benefits to both Chinese and European enterprises and consumers, experts said.

The CNIPA will continue to work with relevant departments to ensure the implementation of the agreement, expedite the implementation of the second batch of 350 China-EU GI products, and promote healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations, Guo Wen, a senior official from the CNIPA said on Tuesday.

GI is becoming more widespread in China. In 2023, 13 GI products were approved, with 201 GIs registered as collective marks and certification marks, and 5,842 entities approved to use special GI signs.

As of the end of 2023, China owned 2,508 approved GI products, 7,277 registered GI collective marks and certification marks, and 26,000 entities authorized to use special GI signs, pushing annual output of GI products to exceed 800 billion yuan ($111.36 billion).

The China-EU agreement on geographical indicators is paving the way for the export of branded Chinese products with GIs. For instance, the Liuyang fireworks, after being listed as a mutually recognized product, saw its export value reach 7.06 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for 19 percent of its total output and hitting a record high, according to CNIPA.

"Liuyang's fireworks are exported all over the world and have a high degree of recognition. As an export-oriented firework company, our production and sales volume in 2023 has increased significantly, with an expected increase of more than 30 percent," a manager surnamed Wang from Liuyang Xingpeng Fireworks told Global Times.

The agreement also opened up popularity of Chinese products in the world market. Since the wines from the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in Northwest China's Ningxia were included in the mutual recognition list, the number of enterprises approved to use GIs quadrupled to 73, their wines had won over 1,100 awards in various international competitions, and exported to more than 40 countries and regions.

On a global scale, CNIPA has been fulfilling its international obligations in GI protection, actively promoting dedicated GI legislation. It has formulated and implemented measures on Gi protection and regulations on the registration and administration of trade marks, as a way to promote high-quality development of GI, Guo said.