A worker checks a chip at Jade Bird Fire Co in Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei Province, on March 27, 2022. Jade Bird makes firefighting products. Its self-developed Zhuhuan chip, which integrates fire detection capability, communication technology and integrated circuit technology, is widely used in China. Photo: VCG

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced on Sunday that the administration has granted a total of 59,000 integrated circuit layout-design certificates patents as of the end of September and the country ranks 11th in the Global Innovation Index 2022, compared with 34th in 2012. 

From 2012 to 2021, the CNIPA authorized 3.953 million patents for innovations with an average annual growth rate of 13.8 percent. A total of 35.56 million registered trademarks were authorized by the CNIPA with an average annual growth rate of 25.5 percent.

As of the end of September, the Chinese mainland held 3.154 million available patents related to innovation, 41.52 million available for registered trademarks and 2,495 geographical indications.

The development of intellectual property (IP) has helped drive China's economic growth with national IP import and export royalties exceeding 2.19 trillion yuan ($307.76 billion) from 2012 to 2021, with an annual growth rate of 13.7 percent. 

The average growth rate of IP royalty exports hit 31.2 percent, exceeding the import growth rate by nearly 20 percentage points.

Boosted by its growing innovation ability, China's position in the Global Innovation Index 2022 rose to 11th place from 34th place in 2012, topping the index among all medium- to high-income economies.

China is also home to two of the world's largest five science and technology clusters - the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster in South China and the Beijing cluster in North China. 

Global Times