With the number of effective invention patents (those still in the duration of protection) in strategic emerging industries reaching 731,000 in total at the end of June (data collected only from the Chinese mainland), China's patent reserve in key technologies has increased by more than 53,000 since the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. This is evidence that the driving force of industry innovative development is being strengthened continuously.

　　The data was revealed by China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on July 14.

　　According to the CNIPA, 339,000 patents had been licensed in China by the end of June. The number of effective invention patents has reached 3.324 million, with domestic patents at 2.454 million (data collected only from the Chinese mainland), increasing by 23 percent compared with the same period last year. International patent applications based on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), has seen 33,300 accepted with a 12.6 percent year-on-year increase.

　　The amount of corporations that own invention patents is also increasing steadily in China, indicating the enhancement of corporations' capabilities in technological innovation. There have been 270,000 enterprises in China that had effective invention patents by the end of June, increasing by 24,000 compared with that of the end of 2020. Among them, there are 126,000 hi-tech enterprises that own 1.077 million effective invention patents, accounting for 62.3 percent of the total effective invention patents of corporations in China.

　　It is worth mentioning that the duration of invention patents being protected is being optimized continuously.

　　In China, 281,000 effective invention patents, (data collected only from the Chinese mainland), have been kept for more than ten years, comprising 11.5 percent of the total amount and increasing by 0.2 percent compared to that of the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

　　According to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), the number of high-value invention patents owned by every 10,000 people is listed as a major index for economic and social development. Based on the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, the number of high-value invention patents owned by every 10,000 people in China will reach 12.

　　CNIPA has explained the index to the public and called for shifting the focus of invention patents application from quantity to quality.

　　CAO Xiuying also contributed to this article.