In 2018, CNIPA received 709,000 design patent applications, an increase of 12.7% over the previous year. Foreign applicants filed approximately 20,000, led by applicants from the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Germany.

Design patent applications in China, 2015–2018.
Design patent applications in China, 2015–2018.
Top ten foreign jurisdictions by design patent applications in China in 2018.
Top ten foreign jurisdictions by design patent applications in China in 2018.
Top ten foreign enterprises by design patents granted in China in 2018.
Top ten foreign enterprises by design patents granted in China in 2018.

Requests for design patent evaluation reports have increased rapidly. In 2018, requests and completed reports increased by 49.7% and 43.5%, respectively, from 2017.

Design patent evaluation reports, 2015–2018: requests and completed reports.
Design patent evaluation reports, 2015–2018: requests and completed reports.

Source: http://www.sipo.gov.cn/docs/20190528164111863119.pdf