China made steady progress in intellectual property development in 2025, strengthening innovation capacity, protection systems and public services, officials said at a State Council Information Office press conference on Jan 23.
According to the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the country granted 972,000 invention patents in 2025, while the average examination cycle was shortened to 15 months, with decision accuracy rising to 95.6 percent.
By the end of 2025, valid domestic invention patents reached 5.32 million, and high-value invention patents per 10,000 people rose to 16, exceeding targets set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.
Trademark performance remained strong, with 4.206 million trademarks registered during the year and the average examination period kept at four months. China also ranked second globally in total brand value among the world's top 5,000 brands.
Intellectual property protection was further strengthened, with five new national protection centers established and 57,000 administrative patent infringement cases handled nationwide, contributing to a public satisfaction score of 82.81 points.
The utilization of intellectual property continued to improve steadily, as patent transfers and licensing filings reached nearly 697,000 cases, while enterprise invention patent industrialization rates climbed to 54 percent, supporting high-quality economic growth.
Looking ahead, the administration said it will strengthen legal frameworks, expand international cooperation, and improve public services to advance innovation-driven development and support China's goal of becoming a global intellectual property powerhouse.
