(Yicai) March 30 -- China became the third largest source for patent applications at the European Patent Office for the first time last year.

Chinese companies filed 22,031 patent applications last year, up 9.7 percent from 2024, according to the EPO Technology Dashboard released on March 24. That growth rate was well above the overall rate of 1.4 percent, while China's total contribution climbed to 10.9 percent from 10.1 percent.

The development highlights a long-term trend of Chinese companies and innovators increasingly turning to European patent protection, said Yorick Lostetter, chief business analyst at the EPO. The number of applications from China has tripled from more than 7,000 in 2016, with most years seeing a double-digit growth, he pointed out.

Chinese applicants are placing growing importance on international intellectual property protection, Lostetter noted. More than 22 percent of granted European patents from such applicants selected unitary patent protection last year, up from 17.8 percent in 2024, he added.

Among the IP5 countries, Chinese patentees requested the second-highest share of unitary patents, behind the EPO Member States and ahead of the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. The trend shows a shift by Chinese companies toward deeper integration into the European market.

Tech Sectors Driving Growth

Nearly 46 percent of all European patent applications from China were in digital communication, electrical machinery, apparatus, and energy, including batteries, and computer technology, areas closely linked to global tech transitions, including connectivity, electrification, and artificial intelligence.

Chinese applications are highly concentrated in fast-growing, research and development-intensive fields, Lostetter pointed out.

In addition, applications in the transport sector surged 31.2 percent and in the semiconductor industry 30.3 percent, showing continued expansion beyond China's traditional innovation strengths.

Leading Chinese Firms Shape Patent Trends

Corporate innovation has played a central role in China's progress, with Huawei Technology ranking second among all applicants worldwide. Battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology, electronics maker Xiaomi, telecom equipment and consumer electronics maker ZTE, and phone manufacturer Oppo were also among the leading filers.

Growth is driven by large internationally active companies with sustained R&D pipelines, Lostetter said. Huawei accounted for more than one-fifth of all Chinese applications, while CATL, Xiaomi, and Oppo posted double-digit growth.

The six Chinese companies that ranked among the top 50 applicants at the EPO are distinguished by the scale, consistency, and international orientation of their R&D and patenting strategies, according to Lostetter. Their filings focus on high-value, R&D-intensive tech, including digital communication, batteries, computer tech, and semiconductors, highlighting long-term investment rather than short-term activity, he added.

The strong performance shows that China's corporate innovation capacity is no longer limited to a small number of leading firms but is supported by a broad base of globally competitive companies that increasingly use the European patent system to protect technologies for international markets, Lostetter pointed out.

Sustained Growth Supported by Diversified Innovation

China's patent grants from the EPO soared 32.8 percent in 2025 from the previous year.

Decade-long expansion reflects long-term investment in key technologies, strong corporate R&D strategies, and an increasingly international innovation system focused on protecting critical technologies, Lostetter said.

Innovation activity is also spreading across China. Despite Guangdong province, Shenzhen, and Beijing remaining the major innovation hubs, the fastest growth came from inland provinces, including Fujian, Hubei, and Sichuan, showing a widening R&D activity.

Overall, the EPO Technology Dashboard showed that China's strong growth reflects long-term investment in key tech, global strategies of leading companies, and a more mature and geographically diversified innovation ecosystem, Lostetter stressed.

Editor: Martin Kadiev