The EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 confirmed that Chinese firms and researchers filed a report 22,031 patent functions with the EPO in 2025, with China turning into the workplace’s third-largest supply of patent functions for the primary time.
BERLIN, March 28 (Xinhua) — China’s patent footprint in Europe is increasing at an accelerating tempo, extending past conventional strengths resembling digital communication right into a broader and extra diversified vary of fields, a European patent skilled stated in an unique interview with Xinhua.
The EPO Technology Dashboard 2025, launched this week, confirmed that Chinese firms and researchers filed a report 22,031 patent functions with the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2025, with China turning into the workplace’s third-largest supply of patent functions for the primary time.
“The number of applications was up 9.7 percent year-on-year, making China the fastest-growing country among the top 10 filing countries,” stated Roberta Romano-Goetsch, the EPO’s chief sustainability officer and spokesperson.
Romano-Goetsch famous that transport and semiconductors noticed the quickest development among the many know-how fields represented by Chinese candidates, each of which posted a rise of over 30 p.c. China additionally recorded elevated exercise in different areas, together with biotechnology and natural wonderful chemistry.
“This is evidence of the continued diversification and broadening of China’s innovation landscape,” she stated.
The skilled famous there’s a longer-term development of Chinese firms and innovators more and more looking for patent safety in Europe. Over the previous decade, functions from China have posted double-digit development, tripling from greater than 7,000 in 2016 to greater than 22,000 in 2025.
Romano-Goetsch attributed the development to each sturdy home innovation capability and a extra world outlook amongst Chinese firms. “Sustained investment in research and development (R&D), particularly in strategic fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital communications, clean energy and semiconductors, has clearly strengthened the technological output of Chinese innovators,” she stated.
Overall, the EPO acquired a report variety of over 200,000 patent functions in 2025 and the highest 5 candidates have been the United States, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea.
In phrases of firm rankings, Chinese tech big Huawei and Chinese battery big Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) positioned second and tenth, respectively, the primary time that two Chinese firms entered the EPO’s high 10. Four different Chinese firms — Xiaomi, ZTE, OPPO and Tencent — additionally ranked among the many high 50.
“The internationalization of Chinese patents, including the fact that Chinese applicants increasingly seek and obtain European patents, points to the growing global relevance of Chinese innovation as well as to the attractiveness of the European technology market,” she stated.
According to Romano-Goetsch, worldwide patent households originating from China are actually rising quicker in key sectors than domestic-only filings. “This suggests that Chinese innovators are increasingly orienting their activities towards global markets and building portfolios with an international dimension, underlining China’s rising importance as a global innovation hub,” she stated.
Looking forward, the skilled stated that pc know-how is anticipated to stay a key focus of world innovation within the coming years. She famous that the sector was the highest space for patent functions on the EPO in 2025, boosted by a rise in patent functions for AI-related applied sciences.
“The future of computing is crucial to economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty, providing an indispensable basis for countries and regions to develop their own critical technologies,” she stated.
She added that patent functions associated to wash vitality applied sciences and different technique of producing, transmitting and storing electrical energy are additionally anticipated to proceed rising, as innovators reply to the vitality transition and the race to fulfill local weather targets.