In May 2004, AIEF signed a historic seven-year training agreement with the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration. 

The initiative will help reform IPR efforts in China by providing advanced education and training programs to Shanghai IPR policy makers, administrators, educators, judges, custom officers, business owners and enforcement agents.

This long-term effort is designed to help companies in the United States and China protect their IP assets, as well as enforce international IPR regulations at their own organizations. 

AIEF also hopes to encourage candid and constructive cooperation between the two nations on key IPR issues affecting various industry sectors, including entertainment, manufacturing, information technology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

To provide guidance on this important effort, AIEF has created the International Council on Intellectual Property Rights.  

This council features legal, financial and IP experts from renowned universities throughout the United States, including California Institute of Technology, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of  Pennsylvania.