Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

China's online population reaches 731 million

BEIJING – The number of internet users in China – already the world's highest – reached 731 million in December, authorities said, as e-commerce drives consumer demand across the Asian giant.

Chinese women pose for a selfie during New Year celebrations in Beijing on Dec 31, 2016. AFP file photo

Chinese women pose for a selfie during New Year celebrations in Beijing on Dec 31, 2016. AFP file photo

BEIJING – The number of internet users in China – already the world's highest – reached 731 million in December, authorities said, as e-commerce drives consumer demand across the Asian giant. 

Total internet users rose 6.2 per cent from the end of December 2015 and equals the entire population of Europe, the government-linked China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) said in a statement on Sunday (Jan 22) on its website.

E-commerce is a vital part of the government's efforts to China into a consumer demand-driven economy, although Beijing also imposes strict controls on online content, barring citizens from accessing major websites including Facebook and Google.

The government is pushing a so-called "internet plus" project that aims to expand the role of online technology in the economy.

The number of people who go online through cellphones has reached 695 million, or 95.1 per cent, as computers lose their appeal, according to the CNNIC.

Online consumption has become an increasingly important part of the economy, the statement said, adding that its contribution to GDP growth is gradually increasing.

As of December 12, the number of people in China who used online payments had reached 475 million, up 14.0 per cent year on year, according to the CNNIC.

In one example of the growing power of China's online shoppers, consumers spent US$17.8 billion (S$25.2 billion) in e-commerce giant Alibaba's biggest online shopping promotion on November 11 last year, more than twice the five-day desktop sales from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday in the US last year. AFP

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.