Number of international patent applications last year China tops for the first time

Last year's number of international patent applications China tops for the first time 21:01 on April 7

The number of international patents filed by China has exceeded the United States for the first time in the world for the first time last year, making it even clearer that it is leading innovation in fields such as computer technology.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, announced on Wednesday that there were 265,800 international patent applications filed worldwide last year.

The largest number was 58,990 in China, topping the US for the first time, surpassing 57,840 in the United States, which was the number one in the world for more than 40 years until the previous year.

China has just surpassed Japan in 2017 and is second only to Japan, and in the following two years it has become the world's No. 1, further highlighting its leadership in innovation in areas such as computer technology and communications.

Japan ranked third with 52,660 cases.

Looking at the number of applications by company, No. 1 was Huawei, a major Chinese telecommunications equipment company, No. 2 was Mitsubishi Electric in Japan, and No. 3 was Samsung Electronics in South Korea.

Over half of the total came from Asia, including Japan, China, and Korea.

WIPO's Secretary-General Gali acknowledged that the center of technological innovation is shifting to Asia, and said, "The increasing number of international patent applications is important for people living in new medicines and telecommunications technologies. It is also profitable for us, "he said, and expressed his hopes that it would solve various issues around the world.