Following a joint decision by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), the CNIPA-ARIPO Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program starts on June 8, 2024, and will run for five years, until June 7, 2029.

After the launch of the CNIPA-ARIPO PPH Pilot Program, applicants from both sides can file PPH requests to the CNIPA/ARIPO according to the Guidance of CNIPA-ARIPO PPH Request.

PPH is a fast track linking patent examination duties of different countries or regions, allowing patent examination authorities to speed up patent examination by work sharing. Since the initiation of the first PPH program in November 2011, the CNIPA has built PPH ties with patent authorities of 32 countries or regions.