China has won the title of "top patent filers 2011", overcoming both the U.S. and Japan in the filing of patents. At the moment, it's only a matter of numbers, as China has not yet overcame the United States as far as the quality of patents is concerned. Before China can achieve the top of innovation, it will take a long time, but China is definitely on the right path to become a powerful leader in several fields, such as the car market, the pharmaceutical and the hi-tech field. According to Thomson Reuters, the number of patents filed in China should reach 500.000 in 2015, compared to 400.000 in the U.S.