According to information from the market supervision bureau of Zhenghe County, the Notice on the List of Implementations for the 2024 Geographical Indication Protection Project issued by the Office of the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) plans to include 44 projects in the geographical indication protection project. Two projects from Fujian Province have been selected, one of which is “Zhenghe White Tea,” and it has now successfully passed the public comment period.
The Implementation Plan for the Geographical Indication Protection Project is a document issued by the Office of the NIPA aimed at creating a selection of key products protected under geographical indications, enhancing guidance and driving forces, and improving the geographical indication protection system. It was officially published on January 22, 2024. The application process for the first batch of geographical indication protection projects was launched simultaneously.
The NIPA provides business guidance and policy support for selected projects, and outstanding implementation projects are given priority consideration in the application evaluation for National Geographical Indication Product Protection Demonstration Zones. Local intellectual property management departments provide resource support for selected geographical indications, organize experts to offer professional guidance, and coordinate with all parties to address key and difficult issues during the implementation of the project.
“Zhenghe White Tea” is one of the six major tea categories in China. Zhenghe County was named due to its association with tea and is a significant production area for Beiyuan tribute tea. The produced Silver Needle tea is highly regarded and praised by scholars as “the finest sprout of Beiyuan.”
“Zhenghe White Tea” has ranked among the top 100 regional brands for four consecutive years and holds multiple honors including “National Geographical Indication Protected Product,” “National Geographical Indication Certification Trademark,” “China Famous Brand,” “Top Ten Regional Public Agricultural Brands in Fujian Province for the Year,” and is included in the list of mutually recognized geographical indications under the Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the European Union on Geographical Indications Protection and Cooperation.
Zhenghe County has also received titles such as “National Top 100 Tea Industry County,” “Demonstration County for Building the Zhenghe White Tea Brand,” “Demonstration County for White Tea E-commerce,” “Tea Tourism Integration Characteristic County,” “Top Ten Leading Green Agriculture Geographic Mark Brands,” “Top Ten Tea Geographic Mark Brands in Green Agriculture,” “Pioneer County for Coordinated Development of Tea,” “Pioneer County for Coordinated Development of the White Tea Industry,” and “Demonstration Zone for Integrated Development of Tea, Culture, and Tourism.”