China's Patent Applications Exceed the Combined Total of the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and the EU by 1.3 Times
According to data from the Japanese Patent Office cited by The Nikkei, China continues to strengthen its leading position in global patent applications. Over the past decade, China's share of global patent applications has increased more than tenfold, demonstrating robust innovation vitality.
Since first topping the global patent application rankings in 2011, China has maintained its advantage. Data from 2024 shows that China’s patent applications have surpassed one-third of the combined total of the United States, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union—equivalent to 1.3 times the sum of these four regions—highlighting its dominant role in the global intellectual property landscape.
The Nikkei analysis points out that while China initially pursued rapid growth in patent volume, recent policy orientation has gradually shifted toward improving patent quality and emphasizing high-value technology research and development. Currently, China and the United States are neck-and-neck in patent filings for cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and software, establishing themselves as the two core forces driving global technological innovation.
Meanwhile, Japan’s share of global patents has declined by approximately 30% over the past decade. Experts analyze that Japanese companies tend to focus more on the practical value and strategic significance of patents rather than simply chasing quantity, with their patent strategy emphasizing "quality over quantity" to support core competitiveness.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874207227878410/
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