BEIJING -- There are now 75 national intellectual property (IP) protection centers in China, the country's top IP regulator has said.

The centers are distributed across 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, according to the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

The CNIPA recently approved the construction of a national IP protection center in Ningxia Hui autonomous region. In the future, the center will undertake rapid, coordinated IP protection work for the new materials and high-end equipment manufacturing industries.

Once it is completed and put into operation, the center is expected to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of economic drivers, create a sound innovation and business environment, and support the high-quality economic development of the country's western regions and ethnic minority areas, according to the CNIPA.