China made 2,452 international patent applications in 2005 and became the world's 10th largest user of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said in Geneva on Friday.

China's number of international patent applications reached 2,452 in 2005, a growth of 43.7 percent compared with the previous year, said WIPO Deputy Director-General Francis Gurry, who oversees the work of the PCT.

China ranked 13th in the list of top countries and regions who made PCT applications in 2004, but in 2005, it dislodged Canada, Italy and Australia to take the 10th place, the official said at a press conference.

He said in 2005, over 134,000 PCT applications were filed by different countries and regions, representing a 9.4 percent increase over 2004.

The five top users of the international patent system remained unchanged, namely the United States, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

And, for the second year running, the most impressive rates of growth came from northeast Asia, namely Japan, the Republic of Korea and China, which altogether accounted for 24.1 percent of all international applications.

"The rate of growth from Japan, the Republic of Korea and China continues to be exceptional, reflecting the rapidly expanding technological strength of those countries," Gurry said.

"Since 2000, the number of applications from Japan, the Republic of Korea and China has risen by 162 percent, 200 percent and 212 percent respectively," he added.

Inventors and industry from the United States represented 33.6 percent of all applications in 2005, while Japan, who unseated their German counterparts in 2003 for the No.2 spot, maintained their second place position with 18.8 percent of the total number of applications.

Applications from the Republic of Korea accounted 3.5 percent of the total in 2005, while China's applications accounted for 1.8 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2006)