EU and US Lead in Quantum Patents: How Can China Catch Up?

EU and US Lead in Quantum Patents: How Can China Catch Up?The global distribution of quantum information technology patents released by the World Intellectual Property Organization has drawn significant attention. The report shows that the EU leads with 2836 patents, followed by the US with 2665 patents and Japan with 1812 patents

EU and US Lead in Quantum Patents: How Can China Catch Up?

The global distribution of quantum information technology patents released by the World Intellectual Property Organization has drawn significant attention. The report shows that the EU leads with 2836 patents, followed by the US with 2665 patents and Japan with 1812 patents. China ranks seventh with 911 patents, accounting for less than 5% of the total. Despite China's remarkable progress in scientific and technological innovation, it lags behind in the number of quantum patents. This report prompts reflectionhow has China fallen behind in this field, and how can it enhance its global competitiveness?

EU and US Lead in Quantum Patents

The report shows that from 2012 to 2021, there were 3051 patent applications for quantum information technology globally. Among them, the US leads with 1155 patent applications, followed by Japan with 363 and the EU with 350. China's patent applications during this period amounted to 296, only 3.2% of the total. Notably, China's patent applications from 2012 to 2017 were comparable to the combined total of the US and EU during the same period.

The report has sparked heated discussions. Some argue that the EU and US have a lasting lead in the quantum field, making China's lag unsurprising. Others are concerned, suggesting that China's small share in this field indicates it may have fallen far behind the US and EU.

China's Exploration and Progress in Quantum Information

It's worth noting that the report only accounts for quantum patents registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization, not including China's domestic patent count. According to data released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration, almost 30,000 patents in more than 10 fields were successfully certified in China from 2012 to 2020, including quantum information. This indicates that China is not stagnant in the quantum information domain.

Furthermore, the report only reflects the quantitative gap. China's patent applications in areas like quantum communication and quantum algorithms are not low, even showing a lead in some aspects. This demonstrates China's continued competitiveness in these fields and its greater advantage in integrating hardware and software.

Reasons for China's Lag in Quantum Patents

The reason for China's lag in the number of quantum patents compared to the US and EU can be traced back to the 1980s. During that period, China's intellectual property laws were virtually nonexistent. The lack of effective intellectual property protection led to the theft of some of China's scientific and technological achievements, hindering China's competitive edge in technological innovation.

By the time China began emphasizing intellectual property, the international community had already implemented strict intellectual property regulations. The US and EU had established relatively complete intellectual property systems during this period and enjoyed a first-mover advantage in intellectual property protection. This resulted in greater challenges for China in catching up with the US and EU.

Although China has made significant progress in intellectual property, the gap accumulated over many years cannot be closed overnight.

Future Development of China's Quantum Information

Despite the gap, China's R&D speed in quantum information has consistently been among the world's fastest. As evident from the number of quantum patents registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization, China is not lagging behind in this field. With China's continued investment and research, its technological development speed in quantum information will surpass that of the US and EU, playing a vital role in future quantum development.

Latest data shows that the global number of patent applications for quantum position is 709, with China accounting for 454 applications and the US for 115. This demonstrates China's rapid development in the field of quantum position.

In the future, China needs to continue increasing investment in quantum information technology, strengthen basic research, encourage technological innovation, improve intellectual property protection, and contribute to China's technological development and rise.

Conclusion

EU and US countries have a leading edge in quantum information technology, but China has made significant progress in this field. China needs to continue its efforts, narrow the gap, enhance its global competitiveness, and play a greater role in China's future development of quantum technology.

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