China will accelerate the development of broadband Web access in a bid to shore up the country's economic and social development, according to a government statement released on September 18.

In the statement issued on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Vice Minister Liu Lihua said that China aims to have more than 250 million broadband users by the end of 2015, with Internet access speeds in urban and rural areas reaching 20 megabits and 4 megabits, respectively.

Broadband service coverage in China's rural areas is expected to hit 95 percent by 2015.

The MIIT will formulate more regulations to ensure fair competition in, and the smooth development of, the broadband industry, Liu said.

China had about 505 million Internet users by the end of 2011, and about 150 million of them are broadband users, according to data from the Internet Society of China.