China's accumulated number of registered trademarks had reached 2.37 million by the end of this June, according to the latest statistics released Monday.

In 1983, China's annual trademark applications for registration was less than 20,000 and among which only 1,687 were foreign applications. By 2004, the number of annual applications had reached 588,000, and China has been on the top of the world for three consecutive years.

Out of the annual applications, 60,000 were foreign trademarks,and the United States, Japan and Germany ranked first, second and third in the number of trademark applications, with 13,343, 11,945 and 5,961 applications respectively, said Li Dongsheng, deputy director of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, at a press conference here Monday.

This demonstrated China has a comprehensive and sound trademark system, China's protection on the exclusive right to use a registered trademark is effective and foreign investors have strong confidence in China's market environment, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2005)