That is to say, an applicant for a patent needs to file a patent application in China within 12 months from the date when he first filed a patent application for the same invention or utility model in the UK, or within 6 months from the date when he first filed a patent application for the same design in the UK. The filing date is the priority date.
China and Britain are both members of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the International Cooperation Treaty, and they can claim priority to apply for China patents in accordance with the above provisions. In addition, if they have applied for international patents, they can also apply for entry into China.