China is ranked as the fourth-most innovative country in the world, only after the US, Germany and Japan, according to a "Global Innovation Barometer" report released by General Electric Co (GE) on Jan 27, Beijing News reported Friday.

Based on a survey of 1,000 business executives in 12 countries, the report found that 35 percent of executives think China has strong abilities for innovation, while the top-ranking United States took in 67 percent of the vote, the newspaper said.

Germany and Japan each won more than 40 percent of the votes, it reported.

Meanwhile, 95 percent of respondents believe innovation is the key factor for a more competitive economy.

Also, 88 percent of the executives think that innovation is the best way to provide job opportunities to a country, the report said.