The Chinese government has worked diligently to crack down on intellectual property infringement cases in recent years. And at a forum being held in southwest China's city of Chengdu, experts said the protection of intellectual property is the foundation for innovation. CGTN's Liu Yang reports.

In the business of taking out fires, saving time can literally mean saving lives.

In this video, the technique on the left can put out a fire in about 35 seconds. The one shown on the right takes twice as long.

Thanks to IP protection, the more efficient method has been widely rolled out in the Chinese market, the intellectual foundation behind it well protected. The company responsible for the technology is one of China's leading safety solution providers. It's a firm with more than 240 national patents, including 66 inventions.

LI WEI, VICE PRESIDENT VITALONG FIRE SAFETY GROUP "If our own IP rights are not protected, then our new products and new technology will not win in the market competition. In the process of product certification, the government has the relevant preferential conditions. The patent technology is one of the requirements for the listing of our new products."

The State Intellectual Property Office and its provincial counterpart in Sichuan are hosting a forum on the integrated development of intellectual property and the new economy in Chengdu. There, experts are discussing how IP affects innovation, the new economy, entrepreneurship, and the sharing economy.

CHEN HONGBING, DIRECTOR WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION "China has become the biggest office in terms of the numbers of applications of patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and utility models, China has become one of the major creators and right holders of intellectually property rights, this is extraordinary achievements. And this performance in attracting FDI shows that IP has been appreciated by the business community."

Experts say the protection of IP is the foundation for stimulating and guaranteeing innovation, which leads to international competitiveness.

GUNTHER MARTEN, MINISTER COUNSELLOR EUIPO IP ATTACHE – TRADE SECTION "China has gone a long way in order to improve IP protection. Lately, we have important creation of IP courts and IP tribunals which will attach much importance, we looking forward we getting appealing instance at the SPC level to bring people's courts level also for IP specialized for IP that would be a good thing, there is still something to do, we think in the future, interim conjunction enforcement, for example, should be introduced in order to give company sufficient protection, in order to enforce their rights."

Latest data show in the first half of 2017, national patent administrative law enforcement cases rose by 23 percent year-on-year. This is a reflection of the growing seriousness with which the Chinese government takes reports of infringement.

The government is also empowering the State Intellectual Property Office to improve its law enforcement capability. Liu Yang, CGTN, Sichuan Province.