China's efficiency in reviewing IP applications improved last year, said Shen Changyu, director of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), on Thursday. Shen introduced that the average time spent reviewing an invention patent was shortened to 16 months, while the average time for reviewing a trademark is 4 months now. China also dealt with a number of IP applications last year, with 921,000 invention patents, 2.09 million utility models, 638,000 designs authorized and 4.383 million trademarks, 11,300 integrated circuit layout designs registered.