Wang Yi: China has not required its firms to provide data from overseas

The Chinese government has not and will not require Chinese enterprises to provide data from overseas in violation of other countries' laws, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

Wang made the comments in Beijing on Tuesday when addressing a seminar on global digital governance through video link.

"The Chinese government stringently follows the principles regarding data security and protection," he said.

China's laws have included clear provisions on the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and organizations, including rights and interests of data security and personal information, according to Wang.

He noted China's digital economy is booming, and the number of Internet users in the country has exceeded 900 million.

The number of 5G users is growing rapidly, Wang added, saying the latest figure has exceeded 88 million, and the total output of the country's digital economy has exceeded one third of its GDP.