Yes, if it is not an international patent, it will not be protected if it is not patented in China. Because the patent itself is regional, the acquisition of the patent right must be applied and granted by the patent administration department of a country in order to enjoy the monopoly right within the jurisdiction of that country. So there will be China patents and foreign patents. If you apply for a patent in China, you will enjoy the monopoly right of the patent, but if you don't apply for a patent in other countries, the patent will not be protected in other countries and you can use it at will.
legal ground
Article 36 of the patent law
Where an application for a patent for invention is filed in a foreign country, the patent administration department of the State Council may require the applicant to submit the information retrieved during the examination of his application in that country or the information on the examination results within a specified time limit; If the application is not submitted within the time limit without justifiable reasons, the application shall be deemed to have been withdrawn.