This photo taken on Oct. 14, 2023 shows a floral decoration for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) near China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. The BRF will be held from Oct. 17 to 18 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

 
China has seen a rise in patent applications from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the past ten years amid closer economic and trade exchanges, official data showed on Tuesday.

There were 115 countries participating in the BRI that filed patent applications in China from 2013 to 2022, and the number of patent applications filed and granted in China was 253,000 and 112,000, respectively, with an average annual growth rate of 5.4 percent and 9.8 percent, according to the China National Intellectual Property Administration. 

The top five countries with the most patent applications are South Korea, Italy, Singapore, Austria and Luxemburg, which accounted for 91.3 percent of the total patent applications. Among them, South Korea topped the list with 178,000 applications filed. 

Digital technology is a key area of cooperation between China and the BRI participating countries, with digital communication, computer technology and electrical devices accounting for a large proportion of the patents filed.

Countries in different regions also have a different focus on patent applications, based on their industrial strengths. For example, countries in West Asia and Africa mainly filed patents in the fields of basic materials, consumer goods, civil engineering, surveying and chemical engineering, as countries in the region are rich in energy and mineral resources.

The BRI has helped Chinese companies to start businesses in member countries, and the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) in 2022 has furthered their investment. 

The RCEP is the world's largest free trade area, and Chinese companies have increased their investment in RCEP participating countries, which is reflected in the increasing volume of patent applications. In 2022, the total number of patent applications by Chinese enterprises in RCEP member states had reached 7,736, accounting for 65.6 percent of the total applications.