China’s online population has reached 731 million in December, authorities said, as e-commerce drives consumer demand across the Asian giant.
Total internet users rose 6.2% 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 Sunday 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.