From Monday September 22 to Friday September 26, 2025, Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira, the CEO of French association Union des Fabricants (Unifab) led a delegation to China to meet with local members, government officials and various stakeholders. The delegation focused on IP policy and protection practice, enhancing cooperation with the Chinese IP community.
Wanhuida Intellectual Property, a long-term Unifab member, organized, facilitated and accompanied the delegation in their various activities. Unifab is a French association dedicated to the protection and promotion of intellectual property rights, with over 200 corporate members from various business sectors.
On September 22, the delegation’s first stop was the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration (SIPA), where the delegation, accompanied by the firm’s Partners Zhu Zhigang and Paul Ranjard, as well as paralegal Chen Shuangyani, met SIPA Deputy Director-General Yu Chen. Yu outlined SIPA's remit and policies in protecting intellectual property for foreign-invested companies, pledged to strengthen Shanghai's IP protection regime and create a top-tier business environment for overseas investors. Sarfati-Sobreira praised Shanghai's business climate and thanked SIPA for supporting French and foreign companies. Both sides expressed hope for increased cooperation on IP protection.
On September 23, the delegation headed to the premises of the firm’s Shanghai Office for an appearance at the symposium with Chinese major ecommerce platforms Alibaba and TEMU. The event brought together brand professionals and representatives, along with other stakeholders, to discuss an array of hot-button issues including platform governance and intellectual property protection mechanisms.
On September 24 - 25, the delegation continued with its visit to the Shanghai Customs and the General Administration of Customs (GAC). The corporate representatives from the delegation exchanged views on an array of matters of practicality, including the Customs notification channels, tracking exported infringing products, cranking up enforcement against exported infringing goods, as well as the inspection of suspected goods shipped via international postal logistic services.
On September 25, the delegation concluded its mission with a visit to major Chinese corporations WESTWELL and ByteDance, as well as the premises of the firm’s Beijing Office. They were warmly greeted and welcomed by Dr. Huang Hui, Partner and Management Committee member, as well as Partners Zhu Zhigang, He Wei and Paul Ranjard.
