(Yicai Global) Sept. 3 -- China has retained its position as No. 14 in a list of the world's most innovative countries, created by an agency under the United Nations.

China is the only middle-income nation in the top 30, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the 2020 ranking published by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The Asian country has strength in indicators such as the number of patents, utility models, trademarks, industrial design, and creative product imports. China has 17 world-leading science and technology clusters. Among them, the Greater Bay Area is global No. 2 and Beijing No. 4.

The Covid-19 pandemic has seriously hindered global innovation in the long-term but also stimulated creativity in the fields of healthcare, education, and digital economy. Asian economies such as China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam have increased their innovation capabilities significantly as the world's core innovation hubs move eastward.

Europe still wins. Switzerland is the world's most innovative country in terms of capacity and output, followed by Sweden, the US, the UK, and the Netherlands. In Asia, Singapore leads while in the global ranking its No. 8. South Korea is Asia's No. 2 and the world's No. 10.

First launched in 2007, the annual index, formed in part by Cornell University and INSEAD, measures the effects of economic policies, knowledge, innovation drivers, technology, and intellectual property.

Editor: Emmi Laine