In 2012 intellectual property and patent applications worldwide grew at the fastest pace in 18 years. China was the key driver of this growth, according to a report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Monday.

The WIPO said in its annual report that patent filings increased by 9.2 percent last year, reaching around 2.35 million applications. Of these, China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) accounted for the largest number of applications with around 652,777 filings, ranking first for the second year in succession.

The report also shows the number of applications in global utility models, industrial designs and trademarks increased by 23.4 percent, 17percent and 6 percent respectively.

Edited and translated by Liang Jun, People's Daily Online