Pareesa Afreen 
Nov 09, 2025
China overtakes global competitors as the world’s largest holder of artificial intelligence (AI) patents, accounting for 60% of global filings, according to a new report rolled out at the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit on Saturday.
The report is released by the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies, which noted that China holds 40.3% of the world’s 6G patent applications, ranking No. 1 globally.
According to the China Internet Development Report 2025, over the past year the country's information infrastructure has undergone major upgrades, pushing the digital economy toward "higher quality, greater depth, and stability.”
By June 2025, China had 684 million broadband users, 4.55 million 5G base stations, and 1.118 billion 5G mobile users. The report added that IPv6 internet users now make up 75% of the nation's total online population.
The quantum computing sector of China is also rapidly growing, expected to surpass 11.56 billion yuan this year, with a year-over-year growth rate of over 30%.
The country holds 41.2% of the global quantum technology industry, the report said, citing Global Times.
Meanwhile, China remains the world’s largest e-commerce market for the 12th consecutive year. At the end of 2024, it had 974 million online shoppers, representing 87.9% of all internet users, while online retail sales grew by 7.2%.
The report also included data about China's rising digital culture industry, which entered the trillion-yuan level, including fields like micro-short dramas, fan merchandise ("guzi") economy, cloud performing arts, gaming, and digital reading.
