GENEVA, May 23 -- The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Friday said in a report that the growth of Chinese patent filings abroad increased significantly since 2000.

The report noted that between 2000 and 2005, the average annual growth rate of overseas patent fillings reached 40 percent, and remained at 23 percent since 2005.

It said more than 80 percent of Chinese foreign-oriented patent families in the 1970-2012 period included at least one patent application with the United States, Europe or Japan.

In terms of absolute numbers, the majority of patent applications abroad by Chinese residents targeted the United States with close to 50,000 patent applications between 1970 and 2012, followed by Europe, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Canada.

"Data showing that more and more patent applications from China are being filed outside the country," WIPO spokesperson Edward Harris told reporters on Friday.

He said "this can be seen as an increase in the quality of the innovations and inventions in China."

Statistics showed almost 70 percent of the Chinese overseas patent families were owned by firms, while the share of universities and research institutes in total patent families is about 6 percent.

The report said digital communication, computer technology, nanotechnology, semiconductors as well as telecommunications listed as the fastest growing fields among Chinese foreign-oriented patent families between 2000 and 2009.