President Xi Links IP and National Security in Party Meeting

On January 23, President Xi Jinping hosted the second meeting of the Leading Small Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform of the 19th Party Congress emphasizing that 2018 will be the first year to implement the “spirit of the 19th Party Congress” as well as the 40th anniversary of China’s ‘reform and opening’. As a result, the importance of reform work is even more significant, President Xi said.
 
In addition to the passing of various proposals, work reports, and policy opinions, several key issues were discussed ranging from the importance of open government information in social welfare projects, the need for a mechanism to determine basic pension insurance for rural and urban residents, and the creation of a dispute settlement mechanism to accompany China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
 
Notably, the meeting included discussion on intellectual property rights (IPRs): the transfer of intellectual property rights must fall within the scope of China’s overall concept of national security. In particular, transfer of domestic IPRs to foreign enterprises, individuals, or other organizations should be tightly controlled and managed. A ‘review mechanism’ should be used to strengthen oversight of IPR transfers related to national security.
 
The meeting also mentioned the need to strengthen management and standardization of scientific data in line with the overall trend of big data development. Security protection for ‘important data infrastructure’ should be strengthened by determining data security levels, and a security review mechanism should be used for data sharing and overseas data exchange. The meeting also pointed out that China’s science programs should align with the national innovation-driven development strategy and strive to have international influence.