Does the Chinese patent office discriminate against foreigners?

© 2021 EPFL / Alain Herzog. Portrait of EPFL researcher Gaétan de Rassenfosse. Researchers show that foreign companies are less likely to have their patent applications granted in China than their Chinese counterparts, and point out that this discrimination occurs in technologies of strategic importance to the Chinese government: the telecommunication and biotech industries. With an investment agreement between China and the European Union awaiting to be ratified by the European Parliament, European companies are hoping to open markets in China without being forced to share technology with their Chinese counterparts. The agreement comes at a time with marked trade tensions with China. There is rising technology protectionism between the United States, Europe, and China. "Press articles have reported cases of industrial espionage conducted by Chinese university students in the UK and Belgium," notes EPFL researcher Gaétan de Rassenfosse.