Recent studies have shown that hyperglycaemia is related to breast cancer progression; however, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between hyperglycaemia and breast cancer cell survival remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that as compared to physiological glucose conditions, high glucose conditions promote a significant increase in MCF‐7 cell survival under hypoxia. High glucose levels inhibit apoptosis and induce epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition, resulting in increased cell viability under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, high glucose‐treated cells display significant increases in intracellular Zn2+ levels and reduction in mRNA expression of the zinc (Zn) transporter Zrt‐ and Irt‐like protein 6 (ZIP6) in hypoxia. ZIP6 deficiency disturbs intracellular Zn2+ homeostasis, leading to increased cell survival in hypoxia and reduced E‐cadherin expression, indicating that decreased ZIP6 expression is strongly associated with resistance to hypoxia.