Beijing, May 19 (IANS): China will soon surpass Japan to become the biggest consumer of IT products and services in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

China's expenditure on IT is gradually approaching that of Japan, and will hit $173 billion in 2013, about four percent higher than Japan, the China Daily reported.

In the IDC report published May 17, the group attributes China's growth in IT consumption to increasing consumer need and government support for the sector.

Wu Lianfeng, assistant vice-president of IDC China, said that driven by the popularity of latest mobile phones and tablet computers, China's personal consumption of IT products in 2012 will increase by nearly 30 percent year-on-year.

The growing need for terminals will also inspire enterprises to develop more advanced IT, he said.

IDC is a global provider of market intelligence and advisory services for information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets.

More than 1,000 analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities in over 110 countries. IDC has been operation for the past 48 years.