China could replace Germany as the nation with the third-largest number of patent filings, said Mao Jinsheng, director of the IP Development and Research Center of the State Intellectual Property Office, at a recent conference about alternative energy industry in Hangzhou city. Experts said China is a leading nation in terms of patent application for alternative energy technologies, but not a "strong nation", noting that Chinese companies lack the awareness and ability to use patents to expand on the international market.

(Source: chinanews.com)