China leads world in PCT patent applications for 5 years: WIPO chief

China's international patent applications via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) rank first in the world for five consecutive years, said the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) chief during the ongoing 2024 International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) World Congress.

During the congress that opened on October 19 in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, WIPO Director General Daren Tang said in a video speech that it is a milestone that the congress is being held in China for the first time.

Tang said that in the mid-1990s, when China joined the PCT of the WIPO, the annual number of international patent applications via the PCT framework was only about 100, and by 2023 the number had reached about 70,000.

According to AIPPI President Shoichi Okuyama, in recent years, the number of intellectual property applications in China has grown rapidly, and China has become the country with the most international patent applications, meaning that China's sci-tech innovation capacity has made great progress.

China has been working hard to formulate and improve relevant laws on intellectual property protection and has maintained active communication and exchanges with other international parties, he added.

China became the first country in the world to have more than 4 million valid domestic invention patents. The number of applications for international patents via the PCT, design patents in the Hague System and international trademarks under the Madrid System rank among the top in the world.

Held from October 20 to 22, the congress attracted about 2,300 industry insiders from 92 countries and regions for in-depth discussions on cutting-edge and hot issues in the field of intellectual property.