China has 84% of blockchain patent applications worldwide

China has the most blockchain patent applications of any country, accounting for 84% of the world’s total, a government official said, signaling Beijing’s continued commitment to the technology despite years of crackdowns and a ban on cryptocurrency, reports the South China Morning Post.

Wang Jianwei, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s information technology development office, disclosed the figure on Tuesday without specifying the time frame. He added that blockchain “accelerates integration with the economy, services for people’s livelihoods, smart cities and administrative services.”

“Many of the blockchain patents don’t apply to blockchain only, but also traditional internet technology, such as privacy computing and cryptography,” said Gao Chengshi, a cryptography expert who is a founding partner of blockchain developer Shanghai Hashvalue Information Technology.