CPPCC Member Zheng Xinli: To cultivate big entities filing international patent applications

China must deepen reform, establish incentive mechanisms and cultivate big entities filing international patent applications so as to build an innovation-driven country, said CPPCC Member Zheng Xinli.

International patent has more innovation value than domestic patent and is an important indicator of technological innovation capacity of a country, said Zheng. In 2009, the U.S. filed 50,000 international patent applications while China filed 8,000. In 2011, China filed 16,000 while the U.S. saw a decline. If it continues at this pace, China will catch up with or surpass the U.S. in terms of international patent filing. Even if China lags behind the U.S. in some high-tech fields and core technologies, it is bound to catch up the latter in ordinary industrial technologies. Last year, China’s international patent applications approach that of Germany, ranking 4th and following the U.S. and Japan.

The current problem is that incentive mechanisms to advance technology have not yet been established, said Zheng. He added "We must reform evaluation mechanisms, incorporate the patent value created by enterprises into the appreciation in assets value and bring into play the leading role of universities in technological innovation and patent application."

As Shanghai has superiority in new materials, new energy, cloud computing and so on, it is qualified to promote R&D and patent filing in enterprises, said Zheng.