New figures show that China has the highest patent applications globally. The shift from manufacturing to innovation in China has not been easy, with government support playing a critical role.

Chinese tech company SuperD has patented more than 400 new kinds of hardware and software. It produces 3D content on laptops, smartphones and tablets without 3D glasses.

“Most devices have a camera. By having that camera, we can track the position of your eyes, sending a signal to the IC embedded on the PC, which we have a special algorithm that re-renders the pixels on the screen itself,” said Michael Hsu, president of SuperD Co., Ltd..

SuperD’s patents extend to multiple jurisdictions— including the US and Japan—a reach made possible by the Chinese government helping it file them.

“In the US, filing one patent costs $10,000. Government support plays a really important role by filing that patent to protect ourselves, and that’s really important to a small company like us,” Hsu said.

SuperD works with film studios, including Dreamworks. Helping Hollywood distribute 3D movies on devices, after their box office release — something 3D films often struggle with. The Chinese firm is one of many that is not just innovating, but actually inventing new technology.

Chinese leaders want innovation to play a key part in the country’s economic development in the years ahead. And already this is being seen in the number of patents China is filing. New data shows that China has seen the fastest growth of patent applications in history, and that China is now the number one patent applicant globally.

In 2013, China’s State Intellectual Property Office received more patent applications from residents and non-residents than its counterparts in the US and Japan.