BEIJING - China's innovation capabilities have surged, with 14 high-value invention patents per 10,000 people, marking a significant advancement in the country's intellectual property (IP) development, an official said at a press conference on Wednesday.

By the end of 2024, China had approximately 4.76 million valid domestic invention patents, a 16.3 percent increase compared to 2023, making it the first country to surpass 4 million patents, according to Hu Wenhui, deputy commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

Among these, the number of high-value domestic invention patents reached approximately 1.98 million, marking an 18.8 percent year-on-year increase. Valid invention patents in strategic emerging industries totaled nearly 1.35 million, growing by 15.7 percent year-on-year.

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As of the end of 2024, the number of domestic enterprises in China holding valid invention patents reached 497,000, an increase of 69,000 compared to the same period last year, Hu said.

He also highlighted that the industrialization rate of valid invention patents held by domestic enterprises has maintained steady growth for five consecutive years, reaching 53.3 percent in 2024, indicating a rapid transformation of innovative achievements into practical productive forces.

Overseas IP applications have become increasingly dynamic. In 2024, Chinese applicants maintained a leading position globally in submitting international patent applications via the Patent Cooperation Treaty, design patents through the Hague System and international trademarks under the Madrid System.

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A total of 130,000 high-value invention patents from China received authorization overseas last year, Hu said, adding that an increasing number of domestic innovators are focusing on leveraging IP to expand into international markets and enhance their global competitiveness.

According to the CNIPA, Chinese enterprises in 2024 achieved an industrialization rate of 53.3 percent for effective invention patents, marking a 2 percentage point increase from the previous year.

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Notably, medium and small-sized enterprises have outperformed the overall average, with their rates reaching new record highs of 61.4 percent and 57.8 percent since 2021.

The industrialization rate of micro-enterprise invention patents reached 36.7 percent, which also marks a new record over the past four years.

The high-tech sector has been one of the major driving factors pushing growth. In 2024, the industrialization rate of effective invention patents in national high-tech enterprises reached 61.2 percent, marking an increase of 3.6 percentage points from the previous year and surpassing the overall enterprise level by 7.9 percentage points, said Liang Xinxin, a senior CNIPA official, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office.