Beijing: China has secured the top global position in the number of invention patent grants within the core industries of the digital economy in 2024, with growth significantly outpacing the worldwide average, according to the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
Official data released by CNIPA on Thursday revealed that invention patents in these industries reached 500,000 last year, marking a year-on-year increase of 23.1 percent. The announcement came during the 14th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference, themed “IP in the Digital Age.”
China has also emerged as the world leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-related patent holdings, accounting for 60 percent of the global total. The regulator highlighted the expansion of international patents, noting that the number of overseas invention patents granted to China’s digital economy core industries rose from 21,000 in 2016 to 52,000 in 2024.
Meanwhile, interest from foreign enterprises in China’s patent system continues to grow. By the end of last year, entities from 95 countries and regions had obtained valid invention patents in China’s digital economy industries, totaling 407,000. This figure represents 43.7 percent of all valid invention patents held by foreign innovators in the country.
“This fully demonstrates that foreign enterprises are confident in the future development of China’s digital economy,” said Shen Changyu, head of the CNIPA.
Leave a comment