Recently, the European Patent Office (EPO) released the "2024 Patent Index" report, which showed that the number of patent applications submitted by Chinese companies to the EPO in 2024 reached a historic high, fully demonstrating China's strong innovation capabilities in fields such as computer, communication, and battery technology.

The report shows that in 2024, enterprises and researchers in Chinese Mainland submitted a total of 20081 patent applications, accounting for 10.1% of the total number of patent applications received by the European Patent Office that year. In the past decade, the number of patent applications in Chinese Mainland has continued to grow, more than quadrupling since 2014. If Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macao are included, China's total number of patent applications ranks third in the world, behind the United States (47787) and Germany (25033).

Despite facing political and economic uncertainty, companies and inventors from around the world submitted a large number of patent applications last year, demonstrating their technological strength and continued investment in research and development, "said Antonio Campinos, Director General of the European Patent Office

The report points out that Chinese companies and researchers have achieved strong growth in application volume in three major technology fields, including computer technology, battery related energy, and digital communication, which also reflects the global trend of technological development. Among them, the application volume of Chinese enterprises in the fields of motors, electrical appliances, and energy increased by 32.2% year-on-year, with the most significant growth rate.

Kanpinos said, "The patent data from the European Patent Office provides clear guidance for industries, policymakers, and investors, tracking global innovation trends and gaining insights into patent application dynamics across various industries and regions in Europe

According to data from the European Patent Office, patent applications in the field of computer technology topped the list for the first time in 2024, with 16815 applications, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and pattern recognition. The fields of motors, appliances, and energy have also achieved strong growth, thanks to advances in clean energy technology, especially battery innovation. With more Chinese electric vehicle brands entering the European market, the number of patent applications for battery related technologies by Chinese companies has surged by 79%. Four Chinese companies - CATL, EVE Energy, BYD, and Zhuhai Guanyu - have become among the top 15 applicants in the field of battery technology.

In the ranking of total enterprise patent applications by the European Patent Office, Huawei ranks second with 4322 applications, second only to Samsung, followed by LG, Qualcomm, and RTX. In addition, five Chinese companies - CATL, ZTE, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Tencent - also entered the top 50, demonstrating the strong innovation capabilities of Chinese companies and their active participation in European patent applications.

In addition, Chinese companies are increasingly active in patent applications in other fields, such as the biotechnology field, where the number of applications increased by 15.1% year-on-year, and the organic fine chemistry field, which also showed significant growth. This series of data indicates that the position of Chinese enterprises on the global innovation stage is constantly improving, actively expanding international markets through patent layout and enhancing their international competitiveness.