BEIJING, Feb. 22 -- China will further improve the efficiency of its patent examination sector to enhance the country's innovation capability, the industry watchdog said Wednesday.

The processing time for invention patent applications will be further cut to 16 months this year, Wei Baozhi, an official with the National Intellectual Property Administration, told a news briefing.

Wei highlighted the task of improving the patent examination standards in fields such as big data, artificial intelligence and gene technologies, to support the development of these emerging industries.

In 2022, a total of 798,000 invention patents were authorized. While China has taken the global lead in the number of patent applications, it has also made enormous efforts to promote a shift within the sector from pursuing growth in the number of patents to improving efficiency.

The official also detailed other measures to strengthen patent protection, including revising patent related regulations and curbing abnormal applications.