China will strengthen overseas intellectual property (IP) services under new regulations on outbound investment issued by the State Council, effective July 1, with the aim of improving legal safeguards and integrated support for Chinese enterprises expanding overseas.
The regulations call for a stronger overseas comprehensive service system that promotes integrated trade and investment facilitation while improving legal, consulting, and risk prevention mechanisms to help companies compete and cooperate more effectively in international markets.
Experts say IP has become an increasingly important consideration in outbound investment decisions as Chinese enterprises expand the global reach of their technologies, brands, data, assets, and business models, reshaping traditional investment risk profiles and priorities.
Outbound investment can take the form of equity participation, greenfield projects, and overseas subsidiaries, often requiring IP due diligence, trademark protection, valuation assessments, and compliance checks across different legal systems and jurisdictions.
Authorities have continued to strengthen IP public services, establishing 99 overseas dispute-response platforms across 30 provincial-level regions, six industry-specific platforms, and 11 overseas stations, with support from nearly 2,000 experts.
In 2025, these mechanisms provided over 4,800 consultations on cross-border e-commerce disputes and trademark issues, helping enterprises recover about 27.5 billion yuan ($4.05 billion) in losses through coordinated guidance and risk response services.
Experts said future IP services should be integrated earlier in the investment chain, shifting from post-dispute resolution toward pre-investment risk assessment, due diligence support, and strategic asset management for global expansion.
