China sees vibrant innovation in green, low-carbon technologies

BEIJING -- China has seen increasingly vibrant innovation in green and low-carbon technologies during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), with 53,000 invention patents granted in this sector in 2024 alone, said a senior intellectual property (IP) official on Thursday.

The 2024 figure, which doubled that of 2020, reflects an average annual growth rate of 19.2 percent, said Liang Xinxin, an official with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), at a press conference on IP achievements.

China's innovation in green and low-carbon technologies has emerged as a major driving force in advancing global development in the field, Liang said.

The clean energy and energy storage sectors showed robust growth, with invention patent authorizations rising by 34.9 percent and 32.8 percent year on year, respectively, the highest increases among all green technology categories, Liang noted.

Leading domestic enterprises have played a pivotal role in advancing green technology, with four domestic companies ranking among the world's top 10 for green and low-carbon invention patent grants in 2024. These include three state-owned enterprises -- State Grid, China Huaneng Group and China Southern Power Grid -- as well as the private firm Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, according to Liang.

China also recorded 6,356 Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications in green and low-carbon technologies in 2024, up 130 percent from 2020, maintaining its top global ranking for four consecutive years.

Liang noted that Chinese enterprises have cumulatively contributed 12,000 green technology solutions to WIPO GREEN -- a platform that connects innovators and providers of sustainable technologies to accelerate green innovation and climate action -- making active contributions to global green development.

The CNIPA will continue to conduct patent analysis and statistical monitoring of green and low-carbon technologies, strengthen IP protection in environmental and related fields, improve assessment standards, and facilitate the efficient authorization and protection of green and low-carbon technologies, Liang said.