Top 10 Chinese regions with most innovation patents

Beijing tops the list of Chinese cities securing highest number of patents per 10,000 people in the country, according to government figures.

The State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) said with 76.8 patents Beijing takes the crown, followed by Shanghai, 35.2 patents per 10,000 people, and Jiangsu province, 18.4.

It added that the average number of innovation patents has reached 8 per 10,000 people in the Chinese mainland.

"Eighty-five percent of the patents were filed in sectors such as telecommunications, computing, digital communication and audiovisual technologies," said the authorities.

Based on the statistics of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the total volume of China's international patent applications ranked sixth around the globe in 2016.

Gong Yalin, head of planning and development division of the SIPO, said there's still a large gap between developed countries and China when it comes to applying for international patents.

He added that China has still fallen behind in such industries as optics, engine, transportation, semi-conductor, audio-video technology and medical technology.

Here's a look at top 10 cities that secured highest number of patents in the country.

No. 10 Shandong province, 6.3 

Rakes of high-speed train CRH380A lined up at Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

No. 8 Liaoning province and Anhui province, 6.4

A worker tests an industrial robot at a Siasun Robot & Automation Co Ltd plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [Photo/Xinhua]

No. 7 Shaanxi province, 7.3 

 
From left: Wang Yi, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lou Qinjian, Party chief of Shaanxi province, Hu Heping, governor of Shaanxi province, Rashid Alimov, secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Kim Jang-soo, the Republic of Korea's ambassador to China, attend an event titled "An Open China: Shaanxi Engaging the World" on July 5, 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

No. 6 Tianjin, 14.7 

Various unmanned vehicles on display at the China (Tianjin) International Offshore Engineering Equipment and Port Machinery Exposition.[Photo/Xinhua]

No. 5 Guangdong province, 15.5

Martin Jetpack, the world's first practical and commercial jetpack, which is developed by KuangChi Science, an innovative high-tech startup in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.[Provided to China Daily]

No. 4 Zhejiang province, 16.5

Visitors learn about online payment solutions at an industry expo in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

No. 3 Jiangsu province, 18.4

Wuxi-made supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight. [Photo/Xinhua]

No. 2 Shanghai, 35.2

China's first advanced interactive robot with life-like facial features Jia Jia has shown up at a meeting in Shanghai. [Photo/qq.com]

No. 1 Beijing, 76.8

Different types of artificially intelligent (AI) robots are on display at the 2016 AI World Expo, held in Beijing on Oct 18, 2016. [Photo/People's Daily Online]