BEIJING, Jan. 16 -- The number of valid invention patents in China had exceeded 4.99 million by the end of 2023, the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) said on Tuesday.

The number of valid trademarks in the country has reached 46.15 million, said Hu Wenhui, deputy head of NIPA, at a press conference, detailing advances made by China in 2023 in the field of intellectual property rights.

A total of 921,000 invention patents were authorized in 2023, while about 74,000 international patent applications were filed via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), he added.

Some 4.38 million trademarks were registered in the country in 2023. A total of 6,196 international trademark applications were received through the Madrid System during the year.

In addition, China had approved a total of 2,508 geographical indication (GI) products by the end of 2023, with the annual output value of GI products exceeding 800 billion yuan (about 112.46 billion U.S. dollars).