Beijing, Jan 23, 2017: The number of people, who opted for mobile payments in China soared 31.2 percent in 2016 to reach 469 million, a new study revealed on Monday.

This strong growth was partly due to a continued increase in users connecting to the internet through their mobile phones, which grew 75 million, or 12.1 percent, in 2016, to stand at 696 million, the study conducted by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) said.

NewsGram brings to you current foreign news from all over the world.

The penetration of internet in China increased to 53.2 percent of the total population, 3.1 percentage points more than the global average, and 7.6 percentage points more than the average in Asia.

The study also shows that Chinese netizens prefer to access government services online over going to the government offices or through telephones. (IANS)