China's rapid rise in innovation-driven industries is being matched by steady progress in intellectual property protection, as improved legal frameworks and growing international engagement inject new momentum into the country's IP ecosystem, said Etienne Sanz de Acedo, chief executive officer of the International Trademark Association.
"China is now a powerhouse in patent and trademark activity, with a very significant percentage of trademark filings," Sanz de Acedo told China Daily, adding that the country accounts for almost 50 percent of global filings in patents — 1.8 million out of 3.7 million total patents in 2024.
However, the country's trademark evolution is no longer defined solely by scale, but increasingly by quality and institutional development, the INTA CEO said.
"What has really changed is the mindset. It is the understanding of the economic value of intellectual property," he said, adding that China's IP system has also improved through stronger legal frameworks where there lies greater consistency, more clarity and predictability, and more specialized courts.
Sanz de Acedo added that China's continued rise in global IP activity reflects a wider trend in which innovation-driven economies are placing greater emphasis on intellectual property as a foundation for long-term growth.
