WIPO China: Building up Its IP Strength will Further Propel China's Technological Innovation
世界知识产权组织中国办事处主任刘华的评论文章《世界创新中心“东移”，中国成重要一极》5月25日发表于《中国日报》国际版的《国际观察》栏目。
Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China, published a commentary article entitled Building up Its IP Strength will Further Propel China's Technological Innovation in the Global Views column of the Global Edition of China Daily on May 25.
图：WIPO中国办事处 | Photo: WIPO Office in China
近年来，全球创新活动保持活跃，其中亚洲，尤其是中国正在成为新的创新中心。当前中国正致力于建设创新型经济，更离不开知识产权的支撑。近期两项知识产权国际条约《海牙协定》和《马拉喀什条约》在中国生效，体现了中国积极参与全球知识产权体系建设的积极姿态。
In recent years, global innovation activities have remained strong, and Asia, especially China, is becoming a new innovation center. At present, China is committed to building an innovative-driven economy, the support and impetus from intellectual property are indispensable. China’s accession to the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs and the Marrakesh Treaty came into force on May 5, fully demonstrating the country's proactive stance in participating in the development of the global intellectual property system.
世界知识产权组织中国办事处主任刘华
Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China
全文如下：
The full text is as follows:
5月5日，《工业品外观设计国际注册海牙协定》和《关于为盲人、视力障碍者或其他印刷品阅读障碍者获得已出版作品提供便利的马拉喀什条约》在中国正式生效。这充分体现了中国积极参与全球知识产权体系建设的积极姿态，标志着中国将在全球知识产权体系中发挥更大作用。
China's accession to the Hague Agreement for the International Registration of Industrial Designs and the Marrakesh Treaty officially came into force on May 5, fully demonstrating the country’s proactive stance in participating in the development of the global intellectual property system and signaling China will play an even bigger role in the system in the future.
为了充分了解中国在全球创新格局中的作用和地位，我们可以看看世界知识产权组织的两份最新报告——2021年9月发布的《全球创新指数报告》和2021年11月发布的《世界知识产权指标报告》。这两份报告中有许多重要结论值得关注。
To fully understand China’s role and position in the global innovation landscape, we can look into the two flagship reports of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)－the Global Innovation Index (GII) and the World Intellectual Property Indicators. In September and November 2021 respectively, WIPO released the latest versions of two reports, which include many important conclusions.
首先，尽管2021年新冠疫情在全球造成了大规模的破坏，但科技成果、研发支出、风险投资交易和知识产权申请都出现了增长。2021年，通过世界知识产权组织《专利合作条约》 (PCT) 提交的国际专利申请量增长了0.9%，达到277,500件，为历史最高水平。马德里体系下的国际商标申请量，以及海牙体系下的工业品外观设计申请量，都实现了两位数的增长——分别激增14.4%和20.8%，达到73,100件和22,480件。
To start with, despite of the massive disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the scientific output, expenditures in research and development, venture capital deals and intellectual property filings witnessed an increase. International patent applications filed via WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) grew by 0.9 percent in 2021 to reach 277,500, the highest-ever level. Both international trademark filings under the Madrid System and industrial designs filings under the Hague System recorded double-digit growth that year－surging 14.4 percent to reach 73,100 and 20.8 percent to 22,480, respectively.
第二，创新集群正在“东移”至亚洲。十年前，亚洲占国际知识产权申请量的50%，而在2021年，这一数字已升至70%。亚洲在全球知识产权生态系统的发展中发挥着越来越重要的作用。根据最新的《全球创新指数报告》，在过去十年中，东亚和东南亚的创新表现最为活跃，其中韩国排名第五，新加坡排名第八，中国大陆排名第12，日本排名第13，中国香港排名第14。
Second, the cluster of innovation is moving eastward to Asia. A decade ago, Asia accounted for 50 percent of international IP filings. It was 70 percent in 2021. Asia is playing an increasingly important role in the development of the global IP ecosystem. According to the GII 2021, the innovation performance in East and Southeast Asia has been the most vibrant over the past decade, with the Republic of Korea ranking fifth, Singapore ranking eighth, the Chinese mainland ranking 12th, Japan ranking 13th and China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ranking 14th.
世界知识产权组织今年2月发布的数据显示，即使在2020年全球经济受新冠疫情影响，增速下降时，知识产权申请活动也在持续增加。亚洲在2021年国际专利申请总量中占54.1%，继续牢牢占据世界第一的地位。这充分展现了亚洲创新生态系统的活力。
According to data released by WIPO in February, IP filing activity increased during the pandemic, even during the 2020 drop in worldwide economic growth. Asia consolidated its role as the origin of the largest number of international patent applications, accounting for 54.1 percent of all applications in 2021. This fully displays how dynamic the Asian innovation ecosystem is.
中国的创新表现尤为突出。中国在2021年“全球创新指数”排名比2020年上升了两位，是唯一进入前15名的中等收入经济体，而且十分有望即将跻身前十。2020年，中国的专利、商标、工业品外观设计申请量分别占全球总量的45.7%、54%和55%。2021年，在世界知识产权组织国际专利PCT体系、国际商标马德里体系和国际外观设计海牙体系中，中国的申请量分别排名第一、第三和第十。
China has particularly outstanding performance in innovation. It rose to 12th in the GII 2021, two places up from 2020, still being the only middle-income economy breaking into the Top 15. Moreover, China is knocking on the door of the Top 10. In 2020, the filings of China's patent, trademark and industrial design by origin accounted for 45.7 percent, 54 percent and 55 percent of the global total. In 2021, China ranked the first, third and tenth respectively in WIPO's PCT System, the Madrid System and the Hague System.
作为世界知识产权组织PCT国际专利体系中贡献最多的国家，中国2021年申请量达69540件，比2020年增加了0.9%。13家中国公司跻身国际申请量前50名。中国目前有19个顶级科技集群。在全球最佳科技集群排名中，“深圳-香港-广州”创新集群位居第二，其次是北京（第三）、上海（第八）、南京（第18）和杭州（第21）。它们的排名逐年显著提升。
China remains the largest user of WIPO’s PCT System, with 69,540 applications filed in 2021, representing a 0.9 percent increase over 2020. Thirteen Chinese companies are among the top 50 international filers. China currently has 19 top science and technology clusters, with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster taking the second place in a global ranking of top-performing city clusters, followed by Beijing (third), Shanghai (eighth), Nanjing (18th) and Hangzhou (21st). They have been noticeably moving up in the rankings year by year.
简而言之，两份报告共同得出的结论是，中国已成为全球创新格局中的重要一极，并已经建立起了一套高效的现代化知识产权体系，极大地推动了中国的经济增长和社会发展。中国在创新和知识产权领域取得的显著成就，归功于中国一以贯之的政策规划、实施和评估，也归功于中国致力于深化改革开放的坚定决心，以及不断完善知识产权制度。
Briefly, both reports conclude that China has become an important pole of the global innovation landscape, and it has built a modern and highly efficient IP system that greatly drives China’s economic growth and social development. China’s remarkable achievements in innovation and IP can be attributed to the country’s consistent policy planning, implementation and evaluation, commitment to deepening reform and opening-up, and the continuous improvement of its IP system.
加强知识产权优势将有助于中国建设创新型经济体。当前，“百年变局”与“世纪疫情”交织，给世界经济带来巨大冲击，深刻改变了人们的工作、生活、娱乐方式。在这个充满不确定性的世界上，有一点可以确定，那就是，要想战胜疫情，更好地重建家园，促进可持续发展，应对全球性挑战，离不开科技创新、知识产权保护及应用的支持和推动。在当今全球化时代，知识产权的作用日益突出，以专利、商标、外观设计等知识产权为主要代表的全球无形资产价值已达到65.7万亿美元，占全球所有上市资产的54%。
Building up IP strength will help China build an innovation-driven economy. At present, the great changes unseen in a century intertwined with the pandemic have brought about a huge impact on the global economy and profoundly changed the way people work, live and play. In a world beset with uncertainties, we can be certain that support and impetus from science and technology innovation as well as IP protection and application are indispensable for overcoming the pandemic to build back better, promote sustainable development and cope with the global challenges. The role of IP is becoming increasingly prominent in today’s globalizing era. Currently, the value of global intangible assets, mainly represented by patents, trademarks, designs and other intellectual properties, has reached $65.7 trillion, accounting for 54 percent of the global listings.
在过去十年中，世界知识产权组织的国际注册系统受理的各类知识产权申请量至少增加了60%，反映出世界各国越来越重视对创新和创意产业加大投资，越来越重视利用知识产权来保护这些无形资产。
Over the past decade, the number of applications handled by the WIPO’s international registration systems have increased by at least 60 percent, reflecting the importance of increasing investment in innovative and creative industries and the growing importance of protecting these investments through IP.
知识产权是一个国家在新一轮科技革命和产业革命中脱颖而出、占据优势地位并保持领先的关键。创新已成为中国经济发展的主要动力，知识产权在推动产业升级、创造就业、吸引投资、支撑企业竞争力、促进经济绿色复苏等方面发挥着越来越重要的作用。
IP is the key for a country to stand out in the new round of technological and industrial revolution, take the advantageous position and maintain a leadership role. Innovation has become the main driving force for China’s economic development and IP is playing an increasingly important role in advancing industrial upgrading, creating jobs, attracting investment, supporting business competitiveness and boosting a green recovery of the economy.
中国正在为此作出积极努力。建立健全知识产权保护和应用体系是国家“十四五”规划的重要组成部分。《知识产权强国建设纲要（2021-2035年）》提出了到2035年建成具有中国特色的知识产权强国的总体目标。《“十四五”国家知识产权保护和运用规划》全面规划了“十四五”期间知识产权保护和申请工作，提出到2025年每万人口高价值发明专利拥有量达到12件。
China is making vigorous efforts in this regard. Building a sound system for IP protection and application is an integral and important part of the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). The Outline for Building a Country Strong on IPR (2021-2035) puts forth the overall goal of building an excellent IPR powerhouse with Chinese characteristics by 2035. The National Plan for Protection and Application of IPR During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period serves as an all-encompassing work plan for the IP protection and application in the next four years, setting a target of 12 high-value invention patents per 10,000 people by 2025.
努力建立平衡、包容和可持续的全球秩序和知识产权生态是时代要求，也是我们共同面临的考验。我们对中国的创新和知识产权事业充满信心。
Working toward a balanced, inclusive and sustainable global order and IP ecosystem is a demand of the times and a test we are facing collectively. We are fully confident in China’s innovation and its IP undertakings.
本文为中国日报旗下的中国观察智库独家约稿，原英文标题为“Patents Pending”, 中文版于5月25日在其微信公众号“观中国”上发布。
This article is an exclusive solicitation by China Watch Think Tank, a subsidiary of China Daily, and was originally published in English under the title "Patents Pending", the Chinese version of which was published on May 25 on its WeChat official account "China Watch".