Finally, after more than a year since the last draft amendment came out in 2019, a new draft has been submitted to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee for deliberation on June 28, 2020. The newest version is now published for public comments until August 16, 2020. As a whole, these proposed changes address a lot of the criticisms people have had regarding the strength of IP protection in China. These changes, once implemented, will make China a much more patent-friendly jurisdiction, benefiting innovators worldwide. Examples of notable changes include (1) a longer patent term for new drugs and design patents; (2) patent linkage; (3) litigation reform such as significantly…