BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China has witnessed increasing patent applications and business requirements for patent agencies, according to a report on patent agency industry development.

The report, compiled by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), shows that there were 3,934 patent agencies nationwide, with 26,840 licensed patent agents by the end of 2021.

Since 2016, the annual growth rate of the number of patent agencies has exceeded 20 percent. The number of licensed patent agents increased by 15.7 percent from 2020 to 2021.

To expand the opening up of the patent agencies, the CNIPA further standardized the conditions and procedures for foreign patent agencies to establish representative offices in China.