China has been actively fostering an environment of strict protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) by law, with a growing number of foreign patent applications, said an official from the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA).

Journalists watch a demo on the process of examining a patent application of a robotic arm for surgery at the National Intellectual Property Administration's Patent Examination Cooperation (Beijing) Center, Sept. 12, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

From January to July, foreign applicants in China filed 92,000 invention patent applications, with a year-on-year growth of 8.3%, and 149,000 trademark registration applications, up 13.1% compared with the same period last year, said Gan Shaoning, deputy head of the NIPA.

In conversing with a group of foreign journalists, Gan attributed the fast rises of both data to implementation of a series of measures to strengthen IPR protection in the country, including amending laws and regulations, accelerating the construction of IP Credit System and carrying out joint punishment on seriously dishonest behaviors.

On Thursday, the foreign journalists visited the NIPA's Patent Examination Cooperation (Beijing) Center. They visited exhibitions at the center to learn about the history and development of China's modern patent system, and watched a demo on the process of examining a patent application of a robotic arm for surgery.

The event was organized by the State Council Information Office of China to promote China's progress to foreign journalists.

"China attaches great importance to the IPR protection, not only for creating a good environment for opening up, but more importantly, for its own development," said Gan in response to a question raised by a Russian journalist. "The Chinese government has put forward the idea of innovation-driven development. Without strict IPR protection, there will be no innovation and no economic and social development."

China's progress in IPR protection has been widely recognized. The global ranking of the business environment in China has risen to the 46th place in 2018 from 78th in 2017, according to the Doing Business 2019 released by the World Bank.

Recently, the 2019 Member Survey by the US-China Business Council shows that 58% of U.S. enterprises, a record high since the survey started in 2011, share the view that China has enhanced its IP protection in 2018.