BEIJING -- More than 4,200 Chinese patents were granted by 26 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative in 2020, up 19.3 percent year-on-year, sources with the National Intellectual Property Administration said Thursday.

China's published patent applications also saw an increase of 17.1 percent year-on-year, reaching 6,198 in 22 Belt and Road countries last year.

The Republic of Korea received the most Chinese patent applications, with 3,395 filings, followed by Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, the NIPA said.

Digital communications, computer technology and electronic equipment topped the list of industries involved in both Chinese patent applications and grants in these countries.

China's improving business environment also gained recognition from countries along the route. According to the NIPA, 13,000 invention patents from 71 Belt and Road countries were granted in China in 2020, while 74 Belt and Road countries submitted 23,000 invention patent applications to China, up 3.9 percent from the previous year and higher than the year-on-year growth rate of total foreign applications.

The NIPA attributed the continued growth to China's strengthened patent protection efforts and the international cooperation under the initiative.