China's economy is showing a clear shift toward innovation-driven development, with research and development (R&D) spending intensity reaching 2.8% – up 0.11 percentage points from a year earlier and surpassing the average of economies in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the first time, China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said. Meanwhile, China's innovation-index ranking stood among the global Top Ten for the first time, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). From new advances in basic research to breakthroughs in key technologies, and from deeper integration between technological and industrial innovation to the broad rollout of digital applications, China has seen a steady stream of achievements in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Bian Yongzu, Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times that official data show China's R&D capacity has risen markedly, strengthening its global position in innovation. This is reflected not only in the rapid growth of patent filings, but also in improving patent quality, supported by a large manufacturing base, a vast research workforce and government policies.
China's technological strength gained further momentum in 2025, with spending on research and experimental development reaching CNY3.93 trillion, ranking second globally for many consecutive years. China became the first country to hold more than 5 million valid domestic invention patents, while its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filings topped the world for the sixth straight year. Breakthroughs in major technologies continued, from the maiden flight of the "Jiutian" drone and the Tianwen-2 mission to the commissioning of the first electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier and the debut of the CR450 high-speed train, underscoring steady progress toward high-level technological self-reliance. Investment and capacity expansion continued in emerging sectors such as high-end equipment, green energy and intelligent manufacturing, with deeper integration between technological and industrial innovation delivering tangible results. In 2025, equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing accounted for 36.8% and 17.1% of value added by industrial enterprises with revenues above CNY 20 million.
The low-altitude economy expanded rapidly and embodied intelligence advanced steadily, with output of civilian drones and industrial robots rising 37.3% and 28% year-on-year. Progress in intelligent manufacturing accelerated, as the number of smart factories increased and industrial internet applications extended across all 41 major industrial categories.
Wang Peng, Associate Research Fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that China's breakthroughs in frontier fields such as quantum technology and AI are strengthening its standing in the global technology competition. Advances in quantum computing and communications are giving China an edge in next-generation infrastructure and security, while the closer alignment of AI innovation with industrial use is helping the country move from catching up to shaping rules. At the same time, rising patent quality and volume are reinforcing technological self-reliance and building barriers in key sectors, boosting China's leverage in global technology cooperation, he said, as reported by the Global Times.
