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BEIJING, Aug. 17-- An intellectual property high-level conference for countries participating in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative will be held in Beijing from Aug. 28 to 29, to boost pragmatic cooperation. Intellectual property institutions from 56 countries along the route, as well as international and regional organizations, representatives from foreign embassies have applied for attending the conference, said He Zhimin, deputy director of the National Intellectual Property Administration, at a press conference held in Beijing Friday. According to He, most Belt and Road countries are in development stage or in transition, with rich resources and traditional knowledge in patents, trademarks, designs and protected geographical indications. They have great demand for cooperation. "Enhanced cooperation will help enterprises along the route understand the intellectual property system and business environment of each country, and improve their competitiveness in global market," He said. Since its launch in 2013, the initiative has received wide support from the international community. The total value of imports and exports between China and other Belt and Road countries has reached more than 30 trillion yuan (about 4.36 trillion U.S. dollars). China has invested over 70 billion U.S. dollars in countries along the route, creating more than 200,000 jobs. Frequent economic and trade exchanges have promoted intellectual property communication among participants. Data from the National Intellectual Property Administration of China showed the number of China's patent applications in Belt and Road countries last year was 5,608, up 16 percent year on year, while countries along the route applied for 4,319 patents in China, up 16.8 percent year on year. | 
