China's Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning provinces and the eastern area of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region have seen a rapid development in innovation and creativity, the country's top intellectual property regulator said.

By the end of April, the three provinces and one area have had 195,000 valid invention patents, a year-on-year increase of 10.2 percent, according to data released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration on Friday.

The number of valid registered trademarks has also exceeded 2.16 million in the places, up 7.7 percent year-on-year, the data showed.

In addition, the provinces have recognized 273 geographical indication products, a number that is close to one-tenth of the national total, the data added.

"We've strengthened the rule of law in IP management, protection, utilization and services to foster a favorable business and innovation environment in the northeast region, as it's a key industrial and agricultural base in China where holds a vital strategic positions in safeguarding national defense, food, ecological, energy and industrial security, and is of great significance to the overall national development," Heng Fuguang, spokesman for the administration, told a news conference.

While promoting IP development by rule of law, he noted that the administration has also leveraged rich scientific and educational resources in these places to advance cooperation and innovation among industry, academia and research institutions.

"For instance, the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has collaborated with technology companies in the fields of robotics, intelligent manufacturing, and photoelectric information processing, driving the growth of China's robot technology," he added.

Wang Weiqun, head of the IP administration in Heilongjiang, highlighted that thanks to continuous efforts in optimizing IP services for innovators, the province saw 18,000 valid invention patents from January to March, a year-on-year rise of 10.6 percent.

"We've also provided guidance for innovators to address their IP issues overseas, aiming to help them reduce difficulties in this regard while going global," he said.

In Liaoning, three centers that specialize in handling IP problems overseas have been established, "which have helped enhance enterprises' awareness and capabilities in IP protection by providing them with training," said Ao Ran, head of the IP administration in the province.

He revealed that the centers in 2024 provided IP infringement risk and layout strategy analysis reports for 36 companies, guided four overseas IP disputes and six consultations, helping innovators recover over 1.1 million yuan ($152,842) in losses.