China's domestic patent applications and international Patent Cooperation Treaty applications have climbed to the top ranking in the world, said the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Tuesday.

China ranked 12th in the 2021 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) report, up from 34th in 2012, marking that China has entered the rankings of innovative countries in the world, Yang Yinkai, an official from the NDRC, told a press conference.

According to Yang, China has placed basic research and cutting-edge technology development in a prominent position during the past decade, having planned and built more than 40 major scientific and technological infrastructures. They include the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, international science and technology innovation centers in Beijing, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and a batch of comprehensive national science centers.

Over the past decade, the operational income of the high-tech industry reached 19.91 trillion yuan ($$$) in 2021, doubling the size of the 9.95 trillion in 2012, said Yang.

The proportion of high-tech manufacturing in the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased from 9.4 percent in 2012 to 15.1 percent in 2021, while the number of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased from 24,600 in 2012 to 41,400 in 2021, the official added.

A total of 696,000 invention patents were granted in China throughout the year 2021, according to China National Intellectual Property Administration.