BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

SUPER MICROSCOPE

China began to upgrade its spallation neutron source, a large scientific facility dubbed as a “super microscope” to probe the structure of the microscopic world, to help boost scientific and technological innovation.

The construction of the phase II of the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), the nation’s first research facility providing the most intense pulsed neutron beams for scientific research, was launched in Dongguan city, south China’s Guangdong Province, on Saturday.

The CSNS phase II project includes building 11 new neutron instruments, experimental terminals and user laboratories.

INDUSTRILIZED PATENTS

The industrialization rate of invention patents held by Chinese enterprises has surpassed 50 percent for the first time, China’s top intellectual property (IP) regulator said on Friday.

The industrialization rate in 2023 has reached 51.3 percent, 3.2 percentage points up from the previous year. It has maintained a consistent upward trend for five consecutive years, said Ge Shu, a senior official at the China National Intellectual Property Administration, citing data from the country’s latest patent report.

DRONE INDUSTRY

China’s drone industry has witnessed robust development over the past years with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used in more areas of the economy, official data showed.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has said that there were nearly 1.27 million registered UAVs across the country at the end of 2023, up 32.2 percent year on year. Some 19,000 companies were engaged in the operation of drones, and 194,000 people held drone pilot certificates.