Created in China: The power of invention patents

Beijing - Last week the State Intellectual Property Office announced the top 10 provinces and municipalities for invention patents granted in 2011, with Guangdong topping the list at more than 18,000 inventions, followed by Beijing with nearly 16,000 and Jiangsu with more than 11,000.

The first six provinces and municipalities, all in the eastern half of the country, generated about 65 percent of the nation's total invention patents.

Central and western regions lagged far behind, with their 18 provincial economies contributing less than one-fourth of the national total, said SIPO Vice-Commissioner Gan Shaoning.