On March 11, 2025, the National People’s Congress approved the China’s National Development and Reform Commission report on the 2024 implementation of China’s economical and social development and draft plan for 2025. Of note, the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reach 14, exceeding the 2025 goal of 12 high-value patents per 10,000 people in China’s National Intellectual Property Administration’s (CNIPA) 14th five-year plan.

Per China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), a high-value patent includes:

• A patent in the strategic emerging industries;
• A patent with overseas patent family member(s);
• A patent maintained for more than 10 years after grant;
• A patent that realizes a higher amount of pledge financing (secured debt); or
• A patent that wins State Science and Technology Awards or the China Patent Awards.

Intellectual property-related excerpts from the report follow:

Guidelines on improving the market access system were issued, and evaluations of market entry efficiency were conducted across the board. An initiative was launched to build up the system for protecting intellectual property rights (IPR), the initiative to promote the practical application of patents was fully implemented, and reform was advanced to integrate prosecutorial powers over civil, administrative, and criminal cases involving IPR.

We accelerated efforts to improve the foundational system for all-around innovation and sped up the translation of technological advances into higher productivity. Per capita labor productivity reached 174,000 yuan, a 4.9% increase in real terms. Spending on research and development (R&D) hit 3.6 trillion yuan, an increase of 8% in real terms. Investment in basic research accounted for 6.91% of the country’s total R&D spending, and the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 14.

The mechanisms for inter-regional cooperation saw steady improvements. Practical results were achieved in promoting industrial connectivity and cooperation, improved environmental protection through joint efforts, sharing of public services, and the flow of officials and high-caliber personnel across regions. Trans-regional collaboration was enhanced in terms of testing and inspection, intellectual property rights, and oversight. Tax-related issues can now be dealt with across regions at a faster pace, with more than 530,000 trans-regional cases being handled by tax payment service centers across the country.

We will establish a sound system for the comprehensive management of intellectual property rights and effective mechanisms for responding to overseas IP disputes and facilitate improvements to the system enabling IP courts to handle cross-regional cases. We will take the initiative to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, harmonizing domestic policies and regulations with relevant international rules. We will improve customs clearance procedures and facilitate the building of the Single Window System for international trade.

The full report is available here (Chinese) and here (English).