Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products in China: An International Development Strategy

China has initially established a system of basic laws, regulations, and policies on geographical indications (GIs) of agricultural products. Furthermore, it has achieved international protection of GIs of agricultural products to a certain extent through the signing of trade treaties, agreements on specialized GIs, and cooperation with industry associations. Nevertheless, the international development of geographical indications of agricultural products in China is facing a number of challenges, namely, unclear management responsibilities, lagging laws, regulations and policies, a large number of GIs of agricultural products that are of variable quality, a weak sense of international branding and insuf ficient market promotion. The European Union, as a developed economy with comprehensive international protection of geographical indications of agricultural products, has advanced legislation and regulations, as well as an ef fective market supervision and industry self-regulation mechanism. It actively promotes international mutual recognition of geographical indications, thereby enhancing the global visibility of these indications and establishing a robust protection framework. Additionally, the EU guides its own agricultural products to the global market.To promote the global success of its agriculture sector, China should take specific steps to: 1) integrate the relevant management departments; 2) coordinate GIs applications for both primary and processed agricultural products; and 3) to enhance international recognition of its agricultural products bearing GIs.