NANJING - China's patents in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry accounted for about 22 percent of the total globally, according to an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Wang Xinzhe said China had more than 2,000 artificial intelligence companies by the end of 2017. Wang made the comments at the Global AI Products Application EXPO 2018 in Suzhou city, Jiangsu province.

About 150 AI companies and institutions from 10 countries and regions participated in the three-day exposition, which kicked off on Thursday, showcasing more than 1,000 AI products.

Wang said China's AI companies are mainly located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces have more than 100 AI companies each.

By 2020, China's AI industry is expected to reach 150 billion yuan ($23.6 billion), said Wang.