HUAWEI, a Shenzhen-based global leading provider of information and communication technology, had more than 85,000 valid patents as of Dec. 31 last year, making it one of the companies with the greatest number of patents in the world, according to the company’s 2019 Sustainability Report released Tuesday.

More than 30,000 patents were approved by China while the rest, greater than 50,000, were approved by foreign countries. More than 90 percent of the patents are invention patents.

The report explains the progress Huawei made last year from four aspects: digital inclusion, security and trustworthiness, environmental protection and healthy and harmonious ecosystem.

In 2019, Huawei maintained network availability during more than 200 major events and natural disasters.

“Over the past year, we faced challenges the likes of which we have never seen. And we stood strong,” said Liang Hua, chairman of Huawei.

“We have worked day and night to patch the holes and overcome the difficulties in this beleaguered business of ours, ensuring business continuity and the timely delivery of products and services to our customers. We have helped roll out networks worth hundreds of billions of dollars in more than 170 countries,” added Liang.

Huawei also added more resources to enhance 5G security. Last year, Huawei provided 385 proposals on network security to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), accounting for over 24 percent of the total network security proposals. 3GPP is a collaborative project aimed at developing globally acceptable specifications for mobile systems.

Working towards emissions reduction, the energy efficiency of Huawei’s main products were improved by up to 22 percent.

In 2019, Huawei used 1.25 billion kWh of clean energy, which is equivalent to reducing 570,000 tons of CO2.

To contribute to a recycling economy, Huawei is committed to maximizing the utilization of resources throughout the product lifecycle. For example, 86 percent of the products returned to the company were reused, and only 1.24 percent of its e-waste was landfilled.

Additionally, Huawei applied smart solutions to reduce energy consumption. The B zone of Huawei’s Bantian Base in Longgang District reduced 1.4 million kWh of electricity consumption during the second half of last year.

Huawei had a total of 194,000 employees from 157 countries and regions, as of Dec. 31 last year.  (Wang Jingli)