Singapore official will head UN intellectual property agency after beating China’s nominee, Wang Binying
- Singapore’s Daren Tang Heng Shim, backed by United States, to be World Intellectual Property Organisation’s next director general
- Tang beat out China’s nominee after heavy lobbying from America
The United States and its allies have prevailed in a high-stakes diplomatic contest with China over who will head a United Nations agency overseeing intellectual property issues.
On Wednesday, the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) nominated Singaporean Daren Tang Heng Shim to be its next director general.
Tang heads the intellectual property office of the Singaporean government. His principal rival – and until recently the front runner – was China’s Wang Binying, currently a Wipo deputy director general.
The 193 UN member nations must still vote on Tang’s candidacy, although that has traditionally been considered a formality, with the real challenges taking place during the nomination stage.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed Tang’s nomination minutes after the final voting wrapped up.
“This is the first time a Singaporean has been nominated for the leadership position of a UN Agency,” Lee said on his official Facebook page, a platform banned in China. “Well done for flying the Singapore flag high!”