German media outlet Deutsche Welle (Chinese version) reported on the 2nd that China has acquired more than 11,000 German patents in the past 20 years.

According to a report by the German Economic Institute (IW), China acquired over 11,000 German patents from 2000 to 2022, and this trend has been particularly active in the field of mechanical engineering. Around 2000, German patents held by China were virtually nonexistent.

According to the report, German researchers and developers applied for over 650,000 international patents during the same period. Of these, currently, 189,000 (about 29%) are held by foreign entities. Approximately one-third of these are held by the United States, and about 11% are held by Switzerland.

In the field of mechanical engineering, the number of German patent applications increased from 3,300 in 2000 to 4,300 in 2022. However, it is precisely in this field that the outflow of German patents is most serious, and the momentum of acquisitions by China is strong. As a typical example, the report cited the acquisition of industrial robot manufacturer KUKA by China's Midea Group in 2016.

Oliver Koppel, an economist at IW, said, "German companies also hold patents abroad, which is normal as part of market competition," while pointing out that "China's acquisitions of Western companies have geopolitical strategic intentions." He suggested, "China is closing its domestic market through negative lists, security reviews, and protectionist trade policies, which creates an imbalance. Europe should monitor more closely where strategically important technologies are actually flowing."

The report also mentioned that Germany's innovative strength is in decline and that its share of global international patent applications decreased from 22% in 2000 to 15% in 2022. It attributed the main cause to insufficient investment in research and development and pointed out that China has expanded its R&D expenditure twentyfold during the same period. (Translation and editing / Kitada)