WIPO China Engages Huazhong University Students to Cultivate Future Intellectual Property Leaders

On May 20, 2025, in Beijing, a delegation comprising 20 doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students alongside faculty members from Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s (HUST) inaugural Global Competence Talents Class visited the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Office in China (WOC).

Ms. Liu Hua, Director of the WOC, engaged the group in a comprehensive discussion covering the global intellectual property (IP) landscape, emerging development trends amid two major waves of innovation, and strategic career planning for young professionals in the IP field.

Highlighting the immense economic significance of intangible assets, Ms. Liu noted that the global value of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and industrial designs has surpassed $79.4 trillion. As the United Nations’ specialized agency for IP, WIPO offers an extensive suite of services, including global policy platforms, international registration systems, databases, cooperation frameworks, and capacity-building programs. These initiatives facilitate the registration, utilization, protection, and management of intangible assets worldwide, while empowering governments, academia, businesses, and individuals across all member states.

Ms. Liu emphasized China’s pivotal role since joining WIPO in 1980, noting its active contributions to the evolution of the international IP system. She underscored how the current innovation waves—the Digital Age and Deep Science—are profoundly transforming production, lifestyle, and entertainment.

Particularly in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), Chinese stakeholders have engaged in close collaboration with WIPO to help shape a global IP ecosystem that is balanced, inclusive, dynamic, and forward-looking. Since 2019, WIPO has convened 11 sessions of the WIPO Conversation on Intellectual Property and Frontier Technologies, focusing on patentability and copyrightability in the AI era and providing a platform for policy dialogue and exchange.

Ms. Liu encouraged the students to embrace frontier technologies, cultivate IP awareness, and enhance their professional competencies to thrive in this evolving environment.

During an interactive session, Ms. Liu elaborated on how frontier technologies like generative AI and large language models serve as powerful innovation drivers. She stressed that these technologies not only augment human creativity but also introduce novel forms and opportunities for creative expression. Rather than viewing them solely as challenges, they should be seen as valuable tools to foster innovation.

She also highlighted the critical role of IP in empowering businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ms. Liu urged students, as prospective entrepreneurs and innovators, to leverage WIPO’s international registration systems and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to reduce barriers and costs associated with IP protection.