Internet's role in safeguarding livelihoods during pandemic hailed

China's internet industry has helped curb the spread of COVID-19 and also improved people's lives through the development of the digital economy and digital facilities, an official from the China Internet Network Information Center said on Tuesday.

"The internet industry has shown its great development vitality during the outbreak, and is becoming a key force for our country to face new challenges and build a new economy," Wu Tienan, the center's deputy director of the center, told a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday at which it released a report on internet developments.

"The internet industry and online services have played a dynamic role in safeguarding people's livelihoods during the outbreak," he added.

The report said there were 940 million internet users in China by the end of June, with about 381 million using it for educational purposes, 276 million for medical care and 199 million using it to work remotely. The number of hosts and viewers of e-commerce livestreams reached 309 million, up 44.3 million compared with three months earlier, it said, adding that it was the fastest-growing internet application.

Many online service industries, such as food orders and ride-hailing, also witnessed growth in the first six months of the year due to the pandemic. About 409 million people had used the internet to order food by the end of June, up 11.24 million from the end of March, the report said.

It said more than 99 percent of Chinese netizens surf the internet on their mobile phones, adding that instant messaging is the most-used type of application, followed by online video and online audio.