Innovation strategy can be spot-on

While China's growing innovation capacity has found mention in recent foreign political debates, those debates focused more on vilifying the country for intellectual property rights (IPR) "theft". This portrayal unfortunately provides a skewed outlook on the IPR and innovation system in China.

China's achievements in IPR protection deserve better recognition, and it is important to understand that the main reason for this progress is linked to growing innovation in the country. China has come a long way in the last decade in terms of dramatically improving its IPR environment, particularly its regulatory environment. While more remains to be done, IPR enforcement in China has improved in several ways over the years. These advancements have in part been a product of, and a contributor to, China's growing innovation capacity.

But some well-intentioned efforts to boost IPR in China and therein stimulate innovation are unfortunately misguided, with some even being counterproductive. As discussed in detail in a 229-page study published recently by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, there are a variety of patent-related policies and practices that are in some ways hampering, rather than facilitating, healthy innovation in China.