Communist China Leads Nuclear Fusion Patents, Ahead of the United States

According to media reports, Communist China has taken the lead over the United States in applying for patents related to nuclear fusion technology. In the nuclear fusion patent ranking compiled by Astamuse, a research company based in Tokyo, Communist China ranks first, followed by the United States in second place, and then the United Kingdom and Japan. The research company ranked 30 countries and regions based on 1,133 patents applied for between 2011 and September 2022. Each country’s score was calculated based on the number of patents applied for, the feasibility of each innovation, and the remaining duration of exclusivity. Communist China also ranks first in terms of the number of patents in the field of nuclear fusion, as well as the companies and research institutions applying for patents. Since 2015, the number of patent applications from Communist China has grown and surpassed that of the United States. These patents are mainly concentrated in practical application areas, such as creating ceramic composite materials that can be used in nuclear fusion reactors. This technology, developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is considered the most significant breakthrough. In the ranking of institutions in this survey, the Chinese Academy of Sciences ranked second, followed by the Southwest Institute of Physics of the China National Nuclear Corporation.