BEIJING - China will adopt stricter intellectual property rights (IPR) protection to give impetus to its opening-up, an official said Thursday.

China will firmly uphold international rules on IPR and protect IPR owned by both domestic and foreign companies, Shen Changyu, head of the State Intellectual Property Office, said at the China Patent Annual Conference held in Beijing.

"IPR protection is key to innovation-driven development and international trade, which also plays an indispensable role in the country's opening-up," Shen said.

Since the implementation of the Patent Law, foreign applicants have applied for more than 1.77 million patents in China, an average annual increase of more than 11 percent.

In 2017, China ranked second in international patent applications, with 51,000 Patent Cooperation Treaty applications.

Shen said China will promote the transformation of intellectual property and encourage technological exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises.

China will also deepen international cooperation in IPR and promote the building of open, inclusive, balanced and effective international IPR rules, Shen said.