China's innovation index up in 2020

BEIJING -- The China Innovation Index, the barometer of the country's innovation capability, continued to climb in 2020, official data showed.

The index, introduced in 2005, increased by 6.4 percent from the 2019 level to 242.6 last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data.

The index, which comprises four sub-indices, measures the innovation environment, input, output and effects.

Up to 19 out of the 21 indicators in the four categories witnessed increases compared with a year ago, the NBS data showed. Six indicators, such as the number of brands owned by enterprises and the trade volume of the technology market, reported double-digit growth.

The index readings reflected that China had made strides forward in the capabilities and level of innovation, said Li Yin, a statistician with the NBS, noting that innovation has provided key support for the country to sustain sound growth and pursue high-quality economic development.