Chinese Patent Applications Highest

New figures show that China has the highest patent applications globally. The shift from manufacturing to innovation in China has not been easy, with government support playing a critical role.

Chinese leaders want innovation to play a key part in the country’s economic development in the years ahead. And already this is being seen in the number of patents China is filing. New data shows that China has seen the fastest growth of patent applications in history, and that China is now the number one patent applicant globally.

In 2013, China's State Intellectual Property Office received more patent applications from residents and non-residents than its counterparts in the US and Japan.