Innovative Patent Activity Reaches New Heights as Domestic Quality and Global Outreach Accelerate

The patent landscape in the world’s most prolific innovation engine is demonstrating robust momentum, as new official figures show a surge in both domestic patent strength and international reach. Backed by expedited processing times and strategic reform, the system is allowing inventors and enterprises to translate rising intellectual property volumes into higher economic and technological value.

Last year, the country granted 1.045 million invention patents—a year-on-year growth of 13.5 percent—underscoring a strong rebound in research-driven output. By the end of 2024, valid domestic invention patents had soared to 4.756 million, positioning the nation as the first in history to surpass four million active invention patents.

Innovation creation has concentrated markedly in strategic emerging industries. Valid patents in these sectors climbed to 1.349 million by year-end, representing a 15.7 percent increase over the prior year. This reflects a concerted alignment of patent policy with broader industrial and technological priorities.

Examination efficiency has also improved. Invention patents now undergo examination in approximately 15.5 months on average, while trademark registration maintains an average processing time of four months—both among the fastest globally.

On the international front, the nation has retained its dominant position in cross-border innovation filings. Under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), 70,160 international patent applications were filed in 2024—an increase of nearly 1 percent from the year before, and still the highest total of any country. Leading firms continue to contribute heavily, with Huawei Technologies alone filing 6,600 PCT applications in 2024, followed by Samsung, Qualcomm, LG, and Contemporary Amperex Technology.

In tandem with the PCT filings, international design protection also rose sharply. Applications under the Hague System increased by 29.5 percent in 2024 to reach 4,868, solidifying global leadership in industrial design filings.

Institutional quality improvements were evident as well. The count of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people climbed to 14, thereby reaching the goals of the national 14th Five-Year Plan ahead of schedule. Domestic entities holding valid invention patents increased by approximately 14 percent in 2024. Oversight of patent disputes improved too, with 67,000 reexamination and invalidation cases concluded during the year.

Efforts to harness patents for economic growth are also bearing fruit. Administrative enforcement resolved 72,000 infringement cases, and patent-related mediations exceeded 140,000 cases. Invention-patent industrialization exceeded 53 percent for enterprise-held patents, up from the previous year. Transactions for patent transfers and licensing were robust, with 613,000 recorded and more than 15,000 granted open licensing arrangements. In terms of economic impact, patent-intensive industries generated RMB 16.87 trillion of added value—equivalent to 13.04 percent of GDP. Royalties on IP imports and exports totaled RMB 398.71 billion, a 5.9 percent year-over-year increase.

Cross-sector cooperation and international integration are also advancing. The share of products originating from higher-education research institutions is growing, with colleges and research institutes accounting for 70.4 percent of new patent applications. Meanwhile, the nation continues to engage with global IP governance—hosting PCT meetings and strengthening ties with WIPO and peer offices.

Together, this wealth of data paints a compelling picture of an ecosystem that is maturing from high-volume patent generation into high-impact innovation. Domestic patenting is not merely growing in scale but evolving in strategic intensity, quality, and economic realization. At the same time, the country maintains its global leadership in filings, while refining its legal and institutional architecture to support higher utilization and enforcement.

As the system transitions to prioritize depth alongside breadth, stakeholders—from policymakers and R&D leaders to multinational partners—are navigating a new chapter where intellectual property drives industrial transformation, global competitiveness, and long-term technological leadership.