China is the only middle-income economy among the top 30 in the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings. Additionally, the five leading science and technology clusters globally are all located in East Asia, with China accounting for three of them. According to the Global Innovation Index 2024 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China has risen one spot from last year to rank 11th globally. Moreover, China continues to lead the world for the second consecutive year with 26 of the top 100 science and technology innovation clusters, further establishing itself as one of the fastest-growing economies in innovation over the past decade.

"IP is a strategic resource for national development and a core element of international competitiveness. Over the past decade, China has demonstrated remarkable performance in the GII, showcasing a steady upward trend. This illustrates China's commitment to gathering world-class innovation resources, fostering an optimal innovation environment, and making significant breakthroughs in the field of IP, culminating in a series of landmark achievements," said Gu Xin, Chief Researcher at the Intellectual Property Development & Research Center of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

The GII report evaluates the performance of innovation ecosystems across 133 economies worldwide, tracking the latest trends in global innovation. "This year's GII reveals positive trends in key indicators, including a decline in global poverty and rises in labor productivity and life expectancy," said WIPO Director General Daren Tang. We see a growing interest in innovation from around the world. More and more countries are realizing that unleashing the innovation potential of their people is critical to growth and development, as well as addressing local and global challenges, according to Tang.

"The Outline for Boosting Competitiveness of China in the Area of Intellectual Property (2021-2035) and the National Plan for Protection and Utilization of Intellectual Property During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period outline a series of innovative initiatives that elevate the importance of IP work, enhance the strategic framework and deepen reforms across the IP sector," said Wang Su, Dean of the Law School/ Intellectual Property School at Zhongyuan University of Technology and President of the Henan Intellectual Property Institute. He emphasized that China's comprehensive initiatives in IP have been steadily advanced and effectively implemented, yielding substantial outcomes that boost innovation capabilities, foster a first-class business environment, and promote high-standard opening up, thus providing crucial support for high-quality development.

The GII uses the average of two sub-indices, Innovation Input and Innovation Output, to calculate rankings, covering 78 indicators across seven categories. China excels in knowledge and technology outputs, infrastructure, and business sophistication. Notably, China ranks first in eight of the 78 indicators, including domestic market scale, state of cluster development, high-tech exports, and creative goods exports, an increase of two indicators compared to 2023. China also ranks in the global top three in other key metrics such as global corporate R&D investment (2nd), labor productivity growth (2nd). "China's outstanding performance in several key metrics, especially in fields like power batteries and electric vehicles, showcases the country's tremendous potential for innovation and its bright prospects for future development," Gu noted.

The GII report shows that China now has 26 of the world's top 100 science and technology clusters, up from 24 last year, and is the country with the most such clusters for the second consecutive year. "In recent years, China has made significant efforts to strengthen IP protection and utilization, building a robust innovation ecosystem that provides fertile ground for businesses to innovate and helps ensure effective IP protection and utilization," said Gu. China has continually pushed forward major regional strategies such as the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. It has supported Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in building globally influential technology innovation hubs, fostering an all-encompassing and multi-level regional innovation landscape.

"Currently, China is at a critical stage, transitioning from being a major importer of IP to becoming a leading creator of IP. The focus of its IP work is shifting from quantity to quality. Facing new challenges in this era, China is aiming to establish an efficient and integrated IP management system, continuously enhancing its IP governance capabilities. This will enable IP to better drive comprehensive innovation, support industrial transformation, improve the business environment, and ensure the smooth operation of both domestic and international markets, contributing significantly to China's deeper engagement in global IP governance," added Gu.