
In 2017, China moved past Japan as the world’s number two patent filer, now sitting just behind the US. It is inevitable that Chinese intellectual property production will reach, and likely surpass, the US in the coming years – that is regardless of what either government does to thwart the other. China is already ahead of the US in IPs relating to telecommunications and online payments though it lags behind in categories such as semiconductors, robotics, and biotech.
Richard Titherington, chief investment officer for Asian emerging markets at J.P. Morgan Asset Management notes, “If you’re looking out 5-10 years you’ll see a much more level playing field in terms of innovation, especially around online platforms, digital innovation, machine learning and artificial intelligence.” Source: Reuters
* China produces one fourth the researchers per million compared to the US. Since the Chinese population is four times the size of the US, China produces about the same number of researchers as the US.