China's digital tech patent authorizations top world in 2024

China's patent authorizations in the core industries of the digital economy reached 500,000 in 2024, a year-on-year growth of 23.1 percent, topping the world, said an official from the China National Intellectual Property Administration at the 14th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference (CIPAC) on Thursday.

The 14th CIPAC is held from Thursday to Friday in Beijing, focusing on digital IP innovations.

Themed "IP in the Digital Age," the two-day conference will have 30-plus events for global innovators, scholars and IP service providers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, said China has now become the world's largest holder of artificial intelligence patents, owning about 60 percent of global AI patents.

Meanwhile, the number of overseas patent authorizations in China's core industries of the digital economy has increased from 21,000 in 2016 to 52,000 in 2024. The number of foreign enterprises applying for invention patents in core industries of the digital economy in China has also steadily increased, said Shen.

"By the end of 2024, 95 countries and regions held a total of 407,000 valid invention patents in core industries of the digital economy in China, accounting for 43.7 percent of the total valid invention patents held by foreign entities in China. This fully demonstrates the strong confidence of foreign enterprises in the future development of China's digital economy," said Shen.

Inaugurated in 2010, the annual CIPAC is organized by the Intellectual Property Publishing House Co., Ltd., under the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the country's top IP regulator.

China's digital tech patent authorizations top world in 2024

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in China's eastern province of Zhejiang saw its cargo throughput exceeding 1.4 billion tonnes in 2025, ranking first globally for the 17th consecutive year, according to the port operator.

The port's container throughput surpassed 43 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year, maintaining third place worldwide.

Its port connectivity index remains the second highest in the world, with more than 309 container routes, connecting over 700 ports in more than 200 countries and regions, and nearly 300 vessel calls per day.

The port has launched more than 110 sea-rail intermodal transportation routes, linking 69 prefecture-level regions across 16 provinces and equivalent administrative units nationwide. The routes cover 40 inland dry ports. The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled over two million TEUs in 2025 as for its sea-rail intermodal transportation services.

China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port leads global cargo throughput for 17 years