China’s Digital Economy Reaches 31 Trillion Yuan in 2018, Accounts for One Third of National GDP

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Official data points to ongoing growth in China’s digital economy as its IT infrastructure expands.

Yang Xiaowei (杨小伟), vice-chair of the National Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室), said at a State Council press conference held on 2 April that as of the end of last year China’s total fiber-optic cable length had reached 43.58 million kilometres, while the number of 4G users reached 1.17 billion, for a full-year net increase of 169 million.

Yang cited estimates from government agencies indicating that as of the end of last year China’s digital economy has reached 31 trillion yuan in scale, accounting for around 1/3 of national GDP.