China’s technological performance as reflected in patents

Abstract

Various concepts for the comparison of countries by patent indicators have been developed for the comparison of countries based on patent indicators. These concepts are generally based on the application of patents in several important markets or the family size of patent applications. A specific observation is the limited transfer of PCT applications of Chinese origin, affecting all these concepts. Transnational patents prove to be a convenient and appropriate tool for making country comparisons by technology, particularly with respect to adequately consider China’s specific patent behaviour. Therefore the phenomenon of limited transfer of China’s PCT applications is analysed for transnational patents. This observation can be associated with lower patent values or with a decreasing export dynamic. The Chinese transfer rates vary considerably by technology as well as by the reason for lower transfer rates. It proves to be more adequate to take limited transfer rates into account. © 2021, The Author(s)