Chinese companies are the main driving force behind the increasing number of patent filings in the European Patent Office, the People's Daily reported on Thursday.

The office received 258,000 patent filings from all over the world in 2012. This represents a 5.2 percent increase year-on-year and set a new record, the office said on March 6.

Patent filings from Chinese companies accounted for 7.3 percent among the top five countries, up 11.1 percent year-on-year, and making it the fastest-growing country in the world in terms of filings.

ZTE Corp, a Chinese maker of telecom equipment, broke into the top 10 for the first time, advancing from 43rd to the 10th position.

Digital communication patent filings accounted for 42 percent of all the patent applications from China.