China's National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) announced Wednesday that a national center to help with overseas intellectual property rights (IPR) disputes has been set up.

Zhang Zheng, head of the department of IPR protection at NIPA, said that the center will "help China's 'going-out' companies better understand and observe IPR laws and rules when they operate overseas. It will also help companies to understand their obligations and rights in overseas business environments."

He added that the center will also facilitate international cooperation in IPR protection.

At the Wednesday presser, the administration also said it recorded better IPR protection on the home front.

It cited an 8.6 percent rise in patent applications and a 15.4 percent increase in foreign companies' trademark applications in China, in the first six months of 2019 alone.

Zhao Gang, deputy director at the NIPA, said that the numbers show relevant sectors' strong confidence not only in China's IPR system but also the general business environment.

"The state of IPR protection has everything to do with the state of trade and business environment," Zhao said.

"Trade and investment can only take place under well-protected IPR. So judging from China's recent performance in IPR protection, we have a good business environment that's attractive to enterprises, including foreign-invested ones. And they are confident in China's business environment."

Zhao also said that the commission will continue to enhance IPR-related law enforcement. He said that all players in the market, whether domestic or foreign, will see their IP rights protected and respected in China.

China's achievements in IPR protection has gained domestic and international recognition, Zhao added.

Research shows that social satisfaction on IPR protection rose from 63.69 points in 2012 to 76.88 points in 2018, the vice director added.

According to the Business Confidence Survey 2019 released by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in May, about 60 percent of the 585 surveyed European companies in China think that the administrative and judicial protection of IPR in China has been significantly strengthened.

The 2019 International IP Index released by the American Chamber of Commerce in China in March also pointed out that China has made outstanding achievements in improving the e-commerce environment and drug patent enforcement.

(CGTN's Guo Meiping contributed to this story.)