每年的4月26日，我们庆贺世界知识产权日，以了解知识产权对全球经济、美国企业以及我们的科学家和创新者产生的重要影响。
 
数十年来，保护知识产权一直是历届美国政府在处理与中华人民共和国关系中面临的主要挑战。有效的知识产权法律和透明的程序对于提供一个公平和可预测的环境是必要的，在这个环境中，创新和创造性的贡献，特别是在商业、贸易和研究方面，会得到承认和保护。尽管中国政府进行了旨在解决知识产权保护及执法问题的立法和机构改革，但我们对知识产权侵权的长期关切仍然广泛存在，特别是重要法律的改革在中国步伐放缓的情况下。 
 
中国最近还采取措施降低其知识产权法律体系的透明度和可预测性。例如，中国现在公布的案件判决书有所减少，并且删除和审查了之前公布的判决书。 以这种方式减少获取信息的机会将降低权利人对中国知识产权法律和法庭的信心。 此外，知识产权权利人对知识产权在中国经济中发挥的作用已经发生转变表示担忧。 知识产权不再是市场改革的驱动力，而是越来越被政治化，并被用作在科学技术领域实现主导和控制的工具。 
 
如果不改进与知识产权相关的规则和法规，也不对公平和透明做出承诺，中国将面临创新被抑制的风险，其影响将波及全球。 我们期望美国和中国继续努力在知识产权领域取得更大进展，关注透明度、法治（rule of law）和程序公正。 中国继续履行其关于知识产权的承诺并遵守这些基本原则以造福所有人，这一点具有至关重要的意义。 
 
今年的主题是女性和知识产权：加速创新创造，我们还应该将注意力集中在知识产权如何帮助改善女性生活并扩大全球女性的创新和创造性影响上。女性更多地参与创新和创意产业会给世界带来文化、经济和技术方面的助益。为此，美国于 2022 年启动了女性创业计划 (WE)，该计划旨在帮助女性企业家确认有价值的知识产权、吸引资金并拓展她们的人脉。同样，去年在中国举办了“新时代巾帼发明家、科学家、企业家座谈会”，以表彰女性创新者的贡献并加大对下一代的支持。 美国驻华大使馆很荣幸地举办了向公众公开的讨论会，与三位中国女性创新者就女性和创新进行讨论。 
 
知识产权法律体系的合法性不仅取决于法律的广度和适用性，还取决于公平、透明和可预测的实施和执法。美国权利人对这里的一些积极性的发展表示欢迎，同时，中国要完成所需的全面变革，并为知识产权保护和执法提供公平的竞争环境。中国的作为或不作为，不仅会对其女性创新者产生重大影响，也会对我们赖以生存的全球创新生态系统产生重大影响。

The Importance of Transparent, Fair and Effective IP Protection – Ambassador Burns on World Intellectual Property Day
 
Each year on April 26, we celebrate World IP Day by recognizing the essential impact of intellectual property (IP) on the global economy, American businesses, and our scientists and innovators.
 
For decades, the protection of Intellectual Property Rights has been a key challenge for successive U.S. administrations in our relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Effective IP laws, together with transparent procedures, are necessary to provide a fair and predictable environment in which innovative and creative contributions, particularly in business, trade, and research, are recognized and protected.  Despite legislative and structural changes by the PRC government aimed at addressing both protection and enforcement, our long-standing concerns about IP infringement remain widespread, especially as the pace of critical legal reforms has slowed in China.
 
China has also recently taken steps that decrease both the transparency and predictability of its IP legal system.  For example, China is now publishing fewer case decisions and removing and censoring decisions it has previously published.  Reducing access in this way undermines the confidence of rights holders in PRC IP laws and tribunals.  Further, IP rights holders have raised concerns that the role that intellectual property plays in the economy of China has shifted.  Rather than being a driver of market reforms, IP is increasingly politicized and used as a tool for achieving dominance and control in science and technology.
 
Without improvements to IP-related rules and regulations and commitments to fairness and transparency, China risks discouraging innovation, with global consequences.  We hope the United States and China will continue to work towards greater progress in the IP field, with a focus on transparency, rule of law, and procedural fairness.  It is critical that China continue to implement its commitments on IP and live up to these fundamental principles for the benefit of all.
 
With this year’s theme of Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity, we should also focus our attention on how IP rights can help improve women’s lives and expand the innovative and creative impact of women around the world.  Greater participation by women in innovative and creative industries brings cultural, economic, and technological benefits to the world.  To that end, in 2022, the United States launched Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE), an initiative that helps women entrepreneurs identify valuable intellectual property, attract funding, and build out their networks.  Similarly, a high-level symposium on “Women Inventors, Scientists and Entrepreneurs in the New Era” was held in China last year to recognize the contribution of women innovators and increase support for future generations.  The U.S. Embassy in Beijing was proud to host a discussion with three Chinese female innovators on women and innovation open to the public.
 
The legitimacy of the IP legal system depends not only upon the breadth and suitability of laws, but on fair, transparent and predictable implementation and enforcement.  While U.S. right holders have welcomed some positive developments here, China should complete the full range of changes needed, and provide a level playing field for IP protection and enforcement.  China’s action, or inaction, will have significant consequences not only for its women innovators, but for the global innovative ecosystem upon which we all depend.