WIPO's GII 2024 Indicates Steady Enhancement of China's Innovation Capabilities

  China is the only middle-income economy among the top 30 in the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings. Additionally, the five leading science and technology clusters globally are all located in East Asia, with China accounting for three of them. According to the Global Innovation Index 2024 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China has risen one spot from last year to rank 11th globally. Moreover, China continues to lead the world for the second consecutive year with 26 of the top 100 science and technology innovation clusters, further establishing itself as one of the fastest-growing economies in innovation over the past decade.

  "IP is a strategic resource for national development and a core element of international competitiveness. Over the past decade, China has demonstrated remarkable performance in the GII, showcasing a steady upward trend. This illustrates China's commitment to gathering world-class innovation resources, fostering an optimal innovation environment, and making significant breakthroughs in the field of IP, culminating in a series of landmark achievements," said Gu Xin, Chief Researcher at the Intellectual Property Development & Research Center of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

  The GII report evaluates the performance of innovation ecosystems across 133 economies worldwide, tracking the latest trends in global innovation. "This year's GII reveals positive trends in key indicators, including a decline in global poverty and rises in labor productivity and life expectancy," said WIPO Director General Daren Tang. We see a growing interest in innovation from around the world. More and more countries are realizing that unleashing the innovation potential of their people is critical to growth and development, as well as addressing local and global challenges, according to Tang.

  "The Outline for Boosting Competitiveness of China in the Area of Intellectual Property (2021-2035) and the National Plan for Protection and Utilization of Intellectual Property During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period outline a series of innovative initiatives that elevate the importance of IP work, enhance the strategic framework and deepen reforms across the IP sector," said Wang Su, Dean of the Law School/ Intellectual Property School at Zhongyuan University of Technology and President of the Henan Intellectual Property Institute. He emphasized that China's comprehensive initiatives in IP have been steadily advanced and effectively implemented, yielding substantial outcomes that boost innovation capabilities, foster a first-class business environment, and promote high-standard opening up, thus providing crucial support for high-quality development.

  The GII uses the average of two sub-indices, Innovation Input and Innovation Output, to calculate rankings, covering 78 indicators across seven categories. China excels in knowledge and technology outputs, infrastructure, and business sophistication. Notably, China ranks first in eight of the 78 indicators, including domestic market scale, state of cluster development, high-tech exports, and creative goods exports, an increase of two indicators compared to 2023. China also ranks in the global top three in other key metrics such as global corporate R&D investment (2nd), labor productivity growth (2nd). "China's outstanding performance in several key metrics, especially in fields like power batteries and electric vehicles, showcases the country's tremendous potential for innovation and its bright prospects for future development," Gu noted.

  The GII report shows that China now has 26 of the world's top 100 science and technology clusters, up from 24 last year, and is the country with the most such clusters for the second consecutive year. "In recent years, China has made significant efforts to strengthen IP protection and utilization, building a robust innovation ecosystem that provides fertile ground for businesses to innovate and helps ensure effective IP protection and utilization," said Gu. China has continually pushed forward major regional strategies such as the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. It has supported Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in building globally influential technology innovation hubs, fostering an all-encompassing and multi-level regional innovation landscape.

  "Currently, China is at a critical stage, transitioning from being a major importer of IP to becoming a leading creator of IP. The focus of its IP work is shifting from quantity to quality. Facing new challenges in this era, China is aiming to establish an efficient and integrated IP management system, continuously enhancing its IP governance capabilities. This will enable IP to better drive comprehensive innovation, support industrial transformation, improve the business environment, and ensure the smooth operation of both domestic and international markets, contributing significantly to China's deeper engagement in global IP governance," added Gu.  (by Li Duo)

　　中国是全球创新指数排名前三十的经济体中唯一的中等收入经济体；全球五大科技集群均位于东亚地区，中国占据三席……近日，世界知识产权组织（WIPO）发布的《2024年全球创新指数报告》（下称GII报告）显示，中国在全球的创新指数排名较去年上升一位至第十一位；在百强科技集群中，中国拥有26个，连续第二年以最多数量居第一，是10年来创新力上升最快的经济体之一。

　　“知识产权是国家发展的战略性资源和国际竞争力的核心要素。在全球的创新指数排名上，中国近十年来的表现一直非常出色，呈现稳步上升的喜人趋势。这再次表明中国一直致力于汇聚全球顶尖级的创新资源、打造优质的创新环境，引领知识产权事业实现了一系列突破性进展，形成了一系列标志性成果，走出了一条中国特色知识产权发展之路。”中国国家知识产权局知识产权发展研究中心首席研究员顾昕表示。

　　GII报告评估了全球133个经济体的创新生态系统表现，跟踪了全球最新的创新趋势。“今年的全球创新指数在一些关键指标上表现出良好趋势，包括全球贫困率下降、劳动生产率和预期寿命上升等。”WIPO总干事邓鸿森表示，全世界对创新的兴趣与日俱增，越来越多的国家认识到，释放本国人民的创新潜力，对于增长和发展及应对当地和全球挑战至关重要。

　　“《知识产权强国建设纲要（2021—2035年）》和《“十四五”国家知识产权保护和运用规划》谋划的一系列创新举措，把知识产权工作摆在更加突出的位置，全面加强知识产权工作顶层设计，深化知识产权领域各项改革。”中原工学院法学院（知识产权学院）院长、河南省知识产权研究会会长王肃表示，中国在知识产权方面的一系列举措得到了稳步推进和有效实施，取得了实质性成果，推动创新赋能持续增强，创新能力明显提升，助力打造一流营商环境和高水平对外开放，为高质量发展提供了重要保障。

　　GII报告以“创新投入”和“创新产出”两个次级指数的平均值作为计算结果，涵盖7个大类领域78项细分指标。在7个大类领域中，中国在知识与技术产出、基础设施和商业成熟度方面均名列前茅；在78项细分指标中，中国在国内市场规模、集群发展状况、高科技出口、创意产品出口等8项指标分数排名第一，比2023年增加2个。同时，中国在全球排名前三的指标还涵盖了全球企业研发投资（第二位）、劳动生产率增长（第二位）等诸多方面。“中国在诸多具体的指标领域表现亮眼，尤其在动力电池、电动汽车等具体细分领域，中国的创新发展和应用推广对拉动创新发挥了重要作用，发展潜力巨大，创新前景广阔。”顾昕表示。

　　GII报告显示，在全球百强科技集群榜单中，中国拥有26个科技集群，数量比去年的24个有所增加，连续第二年成为拥有科技集群数量最多的国家。“近年来，中国一直致力于强化知识产权保护和运用，构建起强大的创新生态系统，为企业开展创新活动和有效促进知识产权的保护、运用提供了丰厚的土壤。”顾昕表示，中国持续推动实施京津冀协同发展、长江经济带发展、长三角一体化发展等多个区域重大战略，支持北京、上海、粤港澳大湾区建设具有国际影响力的科技创新中心，初步形成了全方位、多层次的区域创新格局。

　　“当前，中国正处在由知识产权引进大国向知识产权创造大国转变，知识产权工作从追求数量向提高质量转变的关键时期。面临新时期新形势，中国将建立高效的知识产权综合管理体制，持续提升知识产权治理能力和治理水平，更好发挥知识产权在激励全面创新、促进产业转型、优化营商环境和畅通国内国际双循环等方面的积极作用，为深度参与全球知识产权治理作出更大贡献。”顾昕表示。（李铎）

（文章来源：中国知识产权报 原标题：世界知识产权组织发布的《2024年全球创新指数报告》显示——中国创新能力稳步提升）