China has approved the establishment of an intellectual property rights (IPR) protection center in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) said on Tuesday. 

The first of its kind in the north China region, the center will provide more efficient IPR protection services for enterprises in biology and new materials sectors. 

According to the administration, the center is significant to the building of Inner Mongolia as an important base of energy and strategic resources, as well as agricultural and livestock products. 

To date, China has 50 IPR protection centers, including those under construction, nationwide. 

The centers' establishment is part of China's continuous efforts to strengthen IPR protection. Since 2016, the NIPA has set up IPR protection centers in cooperation with local governments to solve difficulties related to evidence collection and the duration and cost of investigations.