It is already 25 years since China has begun work on registration, operation, and protection of GI after joining the Paris Convention in 1985.

By the end of 2009, State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) had approved 749,800 trademarks for agriculture products, approved and preliminarily approved 771 GIs. According to the investigation samples for 81 agriculture product GIs, in 2009, employees for agriculture product GIs accounted for 24.16% of the total population; the price for the agriculture products with GIs increased by 87.69% averagely comparing to that before registered, with a highest increase rate of 500%; the annual income for farmers growing agriculture products with GIs accounted for 38.78% of the total income, 75.39% higher than that before registered.

At the same time, SAIC also actively carried out related international treaties and did better jobs in the registration and protection for foreign GIs. By the end of 2009, there are 33 foreign GIs registered and protected, including the Idaho Potato from America, Scotch whisky from UK, Olmeca from Mexico, and Thai Silk from Thailand, receiving well comments from the applicants.

In the future, SAIC will carry out the Outline of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, reinforce the registration and protection for GIs, expedite the examination procedure for GI registration, and accelerate the reconstruction for agriculture by using GIs and trademarks for agriculture products, so as to make more contributions to the socialism new countryside construction.
                                                                                                     Source: IPR in China