China world leader in 6G patent applications: report

China has taken the top spot in 6G patent applications around the world, accounting for 40.3 percent of the global total, according to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies at the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit.

The China Internet Development Report 2025 found that, by 2030, the market scale of China's 6G industry is expected to exceed 1.2 trillion yuan ($168.5 billion), with applications in the industrial internet occupying 40 percent and smart cities taking up 30 percent.

The report said that, as of the end of June 2025, China had built a total of 4.55 million 5G base stations, with 1.12 billion 5G mobile phone users nationwide.

China's artificial intelligence industry continues to demonstrate strong momentum. The country holds the largest number of AI-related patents globally, accounting for 60 percent of the world's total.

The report noted that the development of computing power centers has also been substantially enhanced. As of the end of June 2025, China had 10.85 million standard racks in operation nationwide, with its intelligent computing power reaching 788 EFLOPS, ranking among the top in the world.

An EFLOP is a unit that measures the speed of computer systems and is equal to one quintillion floating-point operations per second.

The World Internet Development Report 2025, which was also released at the summit, said China continues to lead the world in the development of communication networks, providing a solid foundation for internet advancement.

In terms of technological innovation, China has achieved a series of breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and quantum communications, with steady progress made in industrial application.