China's influence in the field of network security technology is continually strengthening. According to the network security patent rankings compiled in collaboration with the U.S. information service provider LexisNexis, as of August, IBM leads with 6363 patents, Huawei follows with 5735 patents, and Tencent is in third place with 4803 patents. Chinese companies occupy six out of the top ten positions in global patent holdings in this field.

Other Chinese companies in the top ten include Ant Group (ranked sixth with 3922 patents), followed by State Grid Corporation of China (3696 patents), Alibaba (3122 patents), and China Investment Corporation (3042 patents).

Compared to a decade ago, IBM's patent holdings have increased by 1.5 times. In contrast, Huawei and Tencent have seen their patent holdings rise by 2.3 times and 13 times,respectively. This trend underscores China's significant progress and growing influence in the network security technology domain.

In terms of domains, Huawei holds a significant number of network patents related to wireless and other communication technologies. Tencent places emphasis on verification technologies such as email and identity authentication,while Ant Group possesses many patents related to query languages used for processing database requests.

Hiroko Osaka, the Asia Marketing Director of LexisNexis' Intellectual Property Department in Japan, noted,"Especially since 2018,we have observed a sharp overall increase in the number of patent applications from Chinese companies. In the battle for advanced technologie and data, the importance of intellectual property protection has been reiterated,possibly contributing to the surge in patent applications from Chinese enterprises."

Industry experts suggest that Chinese companies have made progress in technology areas impacting economic security.Amid the intensifying standoff between China and the United States,Chinese companies are focusing on developing their own technologies.

Patent lawyer Masahiro Osaka, specializing in advanced technology intellectual property, states that china possesses a large number of network patents.These patents could prevent companies from other countries from developing and selling telecommunications equipment and software. "Standard essential patents" held by Chinese companies may compel competitors to either spend substantial funds to acquire patents or pay licensing fees to Chinese firms.