Visitors look at vehicles displayed at the booth of Chinese auto brand BYD at GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show 2024 in Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, July 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

The intellectual property cooperation between China and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries has been strengthened over the past decade, with digital and green patents emerging as prominent aspects of this partnership.

Official figures released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on Wednesday revealed that from 2013 to 2023, Chinese enterprises in BRI partner countries and related organizations witnessed an average annual growth rate of over 20 percent in terms of cumulative patent applications and grants. Digital communication and internet companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Tencent stood out with a high volume of applications.

The number of patent applications and grants from BRI countries has also maintained growth in China since 2013.

CNIPA spokesperson Liang Xinxin highlighted the performance of the core industries in digital economy, saying that from 2013 to 2023, China's invention patents in this sector granted in BRI partner countries and related organizations experienced an average annual growth rate of 16.9 percent, and that for patents from BRI countries stood at 11.6 percent.

The cooperation in green patent is remarkable, too. According to Liang, the number of China's green and low-carbon invention patent applications and grants in BRI countries experienced fast growth, rising by 65.4 percent and 49.6 percent respectively, from 2020 to 2023. The leading enterprises included oil refiner Sinopec, battery manufacturer CATL, electric vehicle maker BYD, and digital communication companies like OPPO and Huawei.