China continued to expand its optical fiber network in the first quarter of 2025, with the total length of national optical fiber cables exceeding 74 million kilometers, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
By the end of March, the total length of optical cable lines in the country had reached 74.54 million kilometers, marking a 13.7 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The number of 5G mobile phone users also surged to 1.068 billion, while mobile internet traffic maintained double-digit growth.
China expands optical fiber network in Q1
Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on Thursday delivered explanatory remarks on a draft environmental code submitted to the fourth session of the 14th NPC for deliberation.
China's top legislature opened its annual session on Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders attending the opening meeting alongside more than 2,700 NPC deputies. This year's NPC session is scheduled to run till March 12.
The draft environmental code seeks to embed the principle of green development more firmly within the rule-of-law framework by systematically integrating and revising existing environmental legislations.
It comes at a crucial time as China strives to fulfill its pledge of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 at the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
The draft code consists of 1,242 articles across five sections, covering general provisions, pollution control, ecological conservation, green and low-carbon development, as well as legal liability and supplementary provisions.
Once adopted, it will become China's second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code which was adopted in 2020. The compilation of the environmental code was initiated in 2023.
China's draft environmental code submitted to NPC annual session for deliberation
