GUIYANG, 29 August 2024 (TDI): The number of netizens in China had reached about 1.1 billion as of June this year, up by 7.42 million from the end of 2023, a report on China’s internet development revealed Thursday.
Internet penetration in China had reached 78% by the end of June, according to the China Internet Network Information Center report issued during the ongoing China International Big Data Industry Expo 2024 in Guiyang, southwest China’s Guizhou Province.
The country’s internet industry maintained solid development momentum in the first half of the current year. With a growing number of people accessing the internet, the fast development of China’s digital economy would benefit more people, the report said.
The growth of digital consumption helped boost domestic demand during from January to June period. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China’s online retail sales during the period surged 9.8% year on year to nearly 7.1 trillion yuan (about $995.7 billion).
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According to the report, more than 5 million inbound visitors used mobile payments in China during the first half of this year, marking a 400% increase from one year earlier.
This came after China stepped up efforts to solve payment problems faced by some foreign visitors who rely on bank cards or cash for transactions, whereas mobile payment habits predominate in the country.
