Policy & RegulationAnalysis
China Intensifies Trade Secret Protection with 383 Cases Investigated
Market regulators step up enforcement and issue targeted operational rules to safeguard proprietary business information.
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The Brief
China's market regulation authorities have handled 383 cases involving trade secret infringement since 2024, according to figures disclosed by the State Administration for Market Regulation at a recent press conference. The enforcement update follows the rollout of new administrative provisions issued in February, alongside increased penalties under recent revisions to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law. Regulators emphasized that protecting technical and operational information is vital for maintaining fair competition, industrial security, and innovation.
Why it matters
Trade secret protection directly affects how companies safeguard core technologies, preserve competitive advantages, and capture returns on research and development. Clearer enforcement rules and tougher penalties help foster a transparent, rule-of-law business environment and mitigate the risk of intellectual property leakage in high-tech supply chains.
China context
As Chinese policymakers prioritize innovation-driven growth and the development of new quality productive forces, market supervision agencies are tightening the full-chain protection of intellectual property. Administrative enforcement operates alongside judicial remedies to curtail unfair competition as corporate interconnectivity and the pace of technological development accelerate.
Editor's View
EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting.
The emphasis on trade secret enforcement reflects Beijing's broader push to institutionalize intellectual property safeguards beyond standard patent filings. As domestic firms advance into higher-value technologies, operational know-how and proprietary technical data require stronger shielding. Regulators appear focused on providing granular, actionable compliance standards to balance rigorous enforcement with clear operational guidance for businesses.
What to watch
- Initial enforcement cases and judicial precedents emerging under the newly implemented Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets
- Further updates or implementing guidelines linked to revisions of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law
- Corporate compliance trends and adoption of internal trade secret protection mechanisms across key high-tech sectors
Key Takeaways
- 1Market regulators across China have handled 383 trade secret infringement cases since 2024.
- 2SAMR released the Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets in February to establish clearer operational guidelines for enforcement and corporate compliance.
- 3Recent legislative amendments to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law have increased statutory penalties for trade secret violations.
China's market supervision authorities have investigated and resolved 383 cases involving trade secret infringement since 2024, according to disclosures made during a thematic press briefing held by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR).
Trade secrets—defined under Chinese law as technical, operational, and commercial information not known to the public, possessing commercial value, and protected by appropriate confidentiality measures—represent a specialized category of intellectual property. Due to their non-public nature, these proprietary assets are particularly susceptible to acts of unfair competition, especially amid rapid technological iteration and deepening connectivity across commercial entities, according to reports in People's Daily.
Authorities highlighted that safeguarding trade secrets is essential to supporting the country's innovation-driven development strategy, establishing a market-oriented and internationalized business environment, and securing key industrial chains. In response to rising corporate risks, the latest round of revisions to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law notably increased administrative penalties for trade secret violations.
To standardize enforcement and clarify obligations for businesses, SAMR issued the Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets in February. The regulation serves as an actionable framework for regulatory officials during investigations and offers concrete compliance guidance for enterprises seeking to establish structured protection mechanisms for proprietary technical and business data.
Sources
- 商业秘密保护制度建设日臻完备 --经济·科技--人民网 — People's Daily · 8/19/2026