BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's sustained focus on innovation, growth in R&D investment and an increasingly improved intellectual property (IP) protection environment have helped it maintain its position as the global leader with most innovative clusters, the country's top IP regulator said at a press conference on Friday.

Du Yu, spokesperson of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, made the remarks when responding to a question about the latest Global Innovation Index by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The index highlights that China now hosts 24 of the world's top 100 innovation clusters, maintaining its global lead. Moreover, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster has reached the No. 1 spot for the first time.

Among the top 10 innovation clusters, China occupies three seats. Previously, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster held the second position for five years in a row, and this time it has overtaken long-time leader Japan's Tokyo-Yokohama cluster.

Du noted that China's R&D investment rose to 3.6 trillion yuan (about 507 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, ranking second globally; IP legislation is steadily strengthening, and public satisfaction with IP protection set a record high last year. He also added that as of June, China's number of valid domestic invention patents has reached 5.01 million, with enterprises holding 3.73 million of them, indicating the continuous improvement of the enterprises' innovation capabilities.

The innovation clusters across the country have taken a leading role in driving the integration of innovation and industry, guiding the development of new quality productive forces, serving as an engine for high-quality growth of regional economic and social development, and forming a major pillar of the nation's innovation ecosystem, Du said.

Taking the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an example, the total number of authorized invention patents in the regions reached 113,000 in 2024, accounting for 12.1 percent of the national total. The vibrant innovation ecosystem here has also attracted many high-tech enterprises and a growing pool of high-quality talent.

"WIPO's ranking release in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region underscores the growing global influence of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and reaffirms China's rapid advancements in scientific and technological innovation," Du said. ■