China claimed the top position in published green and low-carbon patent applications last year, experiencing a 20-percent year-on-year growth and representing more than half of all such applications worldwide, according to the report from the China National Intellectual Property Administration on Wednesday.
The report on Statistical Analysis of Green and Low-Carbon Patents noted that this increase surpassed the global average by 7.1 percentage points. The report categorizes green and low-carbon patents as those focused on technologies promoting environmental sustainability across five key areas: fossil energy carbon reduction, energy conservation and recycling, clean energy, energy storage, and greenhouse gas management.
China exhibited particular strength in energy storage, filing 37,000 patent applications in 2023 alone, constituting 48 percent of the global total. In the clean energy sector, China led the world in invention patent applications for both solar (8,000) and hydrogen (5,000) energy technologies.
Furthermore, China's international presence in green innovation was evident, with over 5,000 applications submitted through the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2023. This achievement secured China's global leadership in this category for the third consecutive year.
The World Intellectual Property Organization has recognized China as the world's foremost patent applicant since 2019, underlining the country's sustained commitment to technological innovation and intellectual property development.
