China saw an increasing number of patent applications and granted patents from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries from 2013 to 2022, the country's top IP regulator said on Tuesday.

Data released by the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) showed that during this period, the number of patent applications filed from BRI countries in China had increased from 18,000 to 29,000 with an average annual growth rate of 5.4 percent, while the number of granted patents had climbed from 6,000 to 14,000 with an average annual growth rate of 9.8 percent.

A total of 115 BRI countries filed patent applications, among which the Republic of Korea, Italy, Singapore, Austria and Luxembourg ranked top in terms of application numbers.

Most of the filed patents fell in the category of invention patents, while others included design patents and utility model patents.

During the same period, the number of filed patent applications by China in BRI countries had risen from 2,000 to 15,000 with an average annual growth rate of 25.8 percent, while the number of granted patents had jumped from 1,000 to 8,000 with an average annual growth rate of 23.8 percent.

Digital communication, computer technology and electrical devices were the three industries with the largest volumes of patent applications from China.

The NIPA noted that China has been committed to cultivating a better IP protection environment and business environment to share development opportunities with other countries.