From the perspective of the five-year plan, the prospects of the intellectual property cause are discussed.

2026-08-24
"Each thousand people in our country have more than 22 high-value invention patents. The added value of intellectual property (patents)-intensive industries accounts for 14.6% of the country's GDP, and the public satisfaction with intellectual property protection has risen to 83.9 points..." The "15th Five-Year Plan for Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization" issued by the State Council recently states that by 2030, China's comprehensive strength and international competitiveness in intellectual property will be further enhanced, and the construction of an intellectual property power will achieve decisive progress.

This heavy-weight five-year plan, based on the characteristics and phased requirements of intellectual property development in the era, has deployed key tasks for the development of China's intellectual property cause during the "15th Five-Year Period", as well as a series of special projects such as intellectual property protection in strategic emerging industries and promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. It covers the entire chain of intellectual property creation, protection, utilization, management, service, and international cooperation. It responds to current needs and makes forward-looking planning.

Formulating and implementing the five-year intellectual property plan is an important means for the跨越式 development of China's intellectual property cause and achieving historic achievements. In December 2016， the State Council issued the "13th Five-Year National Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization Plan"， and intellectual property planning was first issued and implemented as a national key special plan. In October 2021， the State Council issued the "14th Five-Year National Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization Plan"， which has driven a significant increase in the quantity and quality of intellectual property creation， a continuous improvement of the protection system， and the acceleration of transformation and application. The construction of an intellectual property power has taken solid steps.

For example， in terms of improving the quality of intellectual property creation， in the past period， there has been a problem of "many but not good， large but not strong" in patents in China. During the "14th Five-Year Period"， China first set "the number of high-value invention patents per thousand people" as a major indicator for economic and social development， and proposed an expected target of 12 patents. By the end of the "14th Five-Year Period"， the number of high-value invention patents per thousand people in China reached 16， not only exceeding the target set in the plan， but also the proportion of high-value invention patents among valid invention patents reached 43.1%， an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared to the end of the "13th Five-Year Period".

The five-year plan has guided and driven the transformation of intellectual property work from pursuing quantity to improving quality. In recent years， a large number of invention patents with higher technical content， higher market value， and more stable rights status have continuously emerged， laying a solid foundation for industries such as artificial intelligence and biomedicine. It is worth noting that during the "15th Five-Year Period"， this indicator was set at more than 22 patents， an increase of more than 6 patents compared to the end of the "14th Five-Year Period"， fully demonstrating China's confidence and determination to accelerate the improvement of innovation capabilities and performance.

For example， in terms of patent transformation and application， there was once a phenomenon of "emphasizing protection but neglecting application" in the intellectual property field. The "13th Five-Year Intellectual Property Plan" proposed specific expected indicators such as "the number of effective invention patents per 10 million yuan of main business income of large-scale manufacturing enterprises (pieces)"； the "14th Five-Year Intellectual Property Plan" proposed specific measures such as "guiding the implementation of order-based research and placement-based innovation" to promote in-depth cooperation of enterprises， universities， and research institutions in intellectual property； the "15th Five-Year Intellectual Property Plan" included "improving the patent application pre-assessment system based on industrialization prospects analysis， and strengthening dynamic inventory and classification management of patents" in the plan. These indicator tasks and measures have enabled more and more scientific and technological achievements to "leave the shelves and enter the shelves".

The five-year plan is stable in connection， step by step， and continuously implemented， enabling China's intellectual property cause to always move forward on the right track and maintain a high-quality development trend， which is of great significance and far-reaching influence. The "13th Five-Year Plan" period is a crucial time for laying a solid foundation and making comprehensive efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization. It is also a critical period for accelerating the construction of a Chinese-style, world-class intellectual property power. The "13th Five-Year Plan" for intellectual property, as the second five-year plan supporting the implementation of the "Outline for the Construction of an Intellectual Property Power (2021-2035)", holds an important position of carrying forward the past and opening up the future. Looking to the future, we must adhere to "finishing the blueprint in one go and answering both sets of questions together", so that the long-term strategic determination can be promoted simultaneously with the implementation of short-term specific plans, and ensure that the construction of an intellectual property power achieves decisive progress. 

Source: National Intellectual Property Administration website
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