President of CISAC Jean-Michel Jarre delivers a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of CISAC's regional office in Beijing, January 15, 2014. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

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CISAC, the International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies, announced at their opening ceremony it has officially opened its new Regional Asia-Pacific office in Beijing on January 15, after successfully gaining the support of Chinese authorities. The office will coordinate the protection and promotion of authors' interests throughout the region.

CISAC, whose Asia-Pacific regional office was previously located in Singapore, made the decision to relocate attributed to China's blooming cultural and artistic market. The organization has received full support from the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC.)

CISAC Director General, Olivier Hinnewinkle, said, "China is a vibrant artistic market and it is vital to CISAC that the rights of creators, in all repertoires, are recognized and protected in this country and throughout the region. The NCAC is a valuable CISAC partner to have in order to achieve this goal and we truly appreciate the Chinese government's support."

President of CISAC, Jean-Michel Jarre, a veteran musician, was also in attendance. Jarre is often referred to as the "Godfather of Electronic Music" and first visited China in 1981, shortly after the country opened up to the world. Since then, he has maintained close ties with musicians in China, and was pleased to see "China's effort in protecting the rights and interests of artists."

"We are proud to celebrate the opening of our new home in Asia by bringing the creative community to a vibrant Beijing, a city blessed with creators and creativity. Our opening ceremony and the seminar that follows mark the beginning of a new era for us and our 3-million strong creators' community in the region," said Hinnewinkle.

Also in attendance were the Chair of CISAC's Board, Kenth Muldin and the Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, Benjamin Ng. Representatives from China include Yu Sike of NCAC, famous composer Lei Lei and Jinghu performer Fei Yuping, among other renowned Chinese creators.