China's intellectual property creation continued to improve in quality in 2025. A total of 972,000 invention patents were granted, while trademark registrations and copyright filings reached 10.677 million.
Technicians test a patented lifting system on an intelligent production line in Leidian Town, Zhejiang Province, east China, July 17, 2025. (Photo: VCG)
In addition, 104 geographical indications (GIs) were recognized, 51 GI collective and certification trademarks were approved, and 6,986 new plant variety rights were granted.
Official data show that by the end of 2025, China became the first country in the world with more than 5 million valid invention patents, including 2.29 million high-value patents, whose share continues to rise, indicating a structural shift from scale expansion to quality-driven innovation.
China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) reports that patents are concentrated in strategic emerging sectors, such as quantum technology, biomanufacturing, brain-computer interfaces, and 6G communications, which are widely regarded as core areas of next-generation global technological competition.
In terms of technical pathways, quantum technology focuses on quantum communication security and computing architectures to enhance information security and computational capacity.
In biomanufacturing, invention patents in related fields primarily cover synthetic biology and process optimization, including microbial metabolic engineering to improve product conversion efficiency, enzyme engineering to enhance biocatalytic pathways, and gene regulation technologies for industrial strain construction. These technologies collectively support green manufacturing systems and biopharmaceutical upgrading.
Brain-computer interfaces focus on neural signal acquisition and human-machine interaction, and are expanding into medical rehabilitation.
6G communications emphasize ultra-high-speed transmission, low-latency connectivity, and next-generation network architectures.
At the institutional level, CNIPA noted improvements in examination and quality standards, stronger high-value patent orientation, and progress in commercializing technological innovation.