Investors encouraged to seek indigenous product qualification

Counsel are encouraging foreign investors to learn about the process behind China's first national catalogue for indigenous innovation products, which is set to be compiled and released late this year, and apply for accreditation instead of fighting against policies.

“Now that a National catalogue will be put together, you may not like it, but you can learn to live with it and hopefully benefit from it,” said Shanghai-based intellectual property and technology partner Tony Chen.

In November 2009, the Ministry of Science and Technology (Most), the Ministry of Finance (Mof) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) jointly issued a circular about the National Indigenous Innovation Products Accreditation Program for 2010. Indigenous innovation product (IIP) catalogues have existed in China since 2006, but only at the local level. This will be the first time a national catalogue is produced.