BEIJING -- The number of 4G users in China continued to grow in May, with 20 million added during the period, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Thursday.

There are now 200 million 4G clients in China, as the country steps up investment in the telecom industry to expand broadband coverage.

In total, there were 657 million mobile broadband users, including 3G and 4G users, at the end of May.

Since the "Broadband China" strategy was floated in August 2013 by the State Council to boost information consumption and expand broadband coverage, the development of the broadband network has seen significant improvements, according to the MIIT.

By the end of May, over 51 percent of broadband users had enjoyed cable speed above 80 megabytes per second (Mbps), the MIIT said.

According to an earlier guideline issued by the State Council, China aims to invest hundreds of billions of yuan in the coming years to increase Internet speed and expand broadband access in rural regions.

By the end of 2017, the average cable broadband speed in major cities will be increased to 30 megabytes per second (Mbps), more than triple the current speed, while smaller cities will be upgraded to 20 Mbps.

The State Council also vowed to expand the 4G network to cover the whole of the country by the end of 2017.