Technology – China crosses the one billion mark of Internet users

Smartphone users in Beijing Photo: AFP

China has more than 1 billion internet users for the first time. In the country, more and more services and tasks are being handled digitally.

China has more than 1 billion internet users for the first time. As the government’s Information Center on Internet Use (CNNIC) announced Friday, the population has increased by 21.75 million in just six months. As of June, 1.011 billion people in China were using the internet – it has a population of about 1.4 billion people.

Above all, smartphone use is rapidly spreading in China and more and more services and tasks are handled digitally – from electricity bills to food deliveries to doctor visits. CNNIC has justified the surge in users with improved digital infrastructure, increased online offerings and improved logistics in smaller towns and rural areas, which in turn drive online commerce.

At the national level, the Internet coverage is 71.6 percent, and the coverage in rural areas is 59.2 percent, according to the state authority. However, the leadership in Beijing strictly monitors the internet and is taking action against content critical of the government as well as pornographic content. Social networks are also regulated. A number of foreign websites have been officially blocked in China, including Google, Facebook, and several media websites.

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