BEIJING — China witnessed a rapidly expanding livestreaming user base in 2020, hitting 617 million people in December, or 62.4 percent of all internet users in China, according to a report on the country's internet development.

The huge user base has propped up the burgeoning livestreaming e-commerce sector at a time when more and more people are shopping online to prevent the spread of COVID-19, read the report released by the China Internet Network Information Center.

Of the 388 million internet users who watched livestreamers promote and sell goods online, 66.2 percent placed orders at least once, according to the report.

In addition to online shopping, internet users in China also played video games and watched live shows, concerts and sports events via livestreaming, read the report.

The number of China's internet users reached 989 million by the end of last year, according to the report.