China's Invention Patent Applications Rank First Globally for Multiple Consecutive Years

Holding 60% of Global AI Patents and Approximately Two-Thirds of Robotics-Related Patents

Data from the China National Intellectual Property Administration shows that the number of valid domestic invention patents in China reached 5.32 million, making China the first country in the world to surpass the 5 million mark in valid domestic invention patents. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the number of valid domestic invention patents in China continued to grow, with the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reaching 16. As of 2025, China's invention patent applications have ranked first globally for multiple consecutive years, establishing China as a veritable patent powerhouse.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Strengthening intellectual property protection is the most important aspect of improving the property rights protection system and the greatest incentive for enhancing China's economic competitiveness." Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has placed intellectual property protection work in a more prominent position, forging a path of intellectual property development with Chinese characteristics. It took 31 years for the number of valid domestic invention patents in China to reach the first 1 million, while the fifth 1 million was achieved in approximately 19 months.

Patent creation has strongly supported China's accelerated progress toward high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology. By the end of 2025, the number of high-value invention patents held domestically in China reached 2.292 million, with 70% belonging to strategic emerging industries. For example, China holds 60% of global artificial intelligence patents, and the number of robotics-related patents accounts for approximately two-thirds of the global total. The volume of PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) international patent applications published in green and low-carbon technologies has ranked first globally for multiple consecutive years, serving as a powerful testament to China's accelerated development of new quality productive forces.

Patent protection and the efficiency of transformation and utilization have been significantly enhanced. Currently, the average examination period for invention patents in China has been shortened to 15 months, representing the fastest level internationally under the same examination system. Public satisfaction with intellectual property protection has improved year by year. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," banking financial institutions have cumulatively issued over 900 billion yuan in intellectual property pledge loans. A large number of high-value patents have moved "from bookshelves to shelves," being tested and validated in practical applications.

Protecting intellectual property means protecting innovation. As of the end of January 2026, the number of valid invention patents held by foreign applicants in China exceeded 922,000. An increasing number of foreign enterprises have become witnesses and participants in the continuous improvement of China's intellectual property system, fully demonstrating their confidence in China's intellectual property protection.

China's intellectual property development has evolved from nothing to something, from weak to strong, and from quantity to quality. The concepts of patent thinking, copyright awareness, and brand culture have taken root in people's hearts, and a social atmosphere that respects knowledge and encourages innovation is growing stronger. Today, as China advances from an intellectual property powerhouse to an intellectual property superpower, its determination to protect intellectual property is firmer than ever, and the vitality of innovation and creation will undoubtedly burst forth with even greater energy.