The decision takes effect on January 1st.

Up to now, cases concerning IP have been decided at the district court level.

The lack of legal protection for IP in China has long been a source of US and EU criticism of the country and is a core component of the current US-China trade war.

“Setting up a Supreme Court intellectual property rights court is an important decision by the Communist Party, is a major step to strengthen the legal protection of intellectual property rights and will have a major impact at home and abroad,” says deputy Chief Justice Luo Dongchuan.

China has also passed a law making it illegal for  Chinese compsnies to mandate a forced transfer of technology as part of a commercial transaction, which has been another major complaint by the US for many years and is cited in the current trade dispute.

At a news conference in Beijing, asked if these moves were a concession to US pressure in the trade war, Dongchuan replied: “China has for many years followed international regulations and international treaties to protect intellectual property rights. So it’s not because of the demands by foreign countries that we’ve stepped up protection. This is an integral part of our own development.”