综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

National

Regional

Taiwan, HK, Macao

Special Coverage

Focus

Society

Profiles

China Internet users soar to 298 million

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-14 11:02

BEIJING -- China's fast-growing population of Internet users has risen to 298 million after passing the United States last year to become the world's largest, a government-sanctioned research group said.

Chinese gamers play online computer games at an Internet cafe in Shanghai in 2007. China's fast-growing population of Internet users has risen to 298 million after passing the United States last year to become the world's largest. [Agencies]

China's Internet use is growing at explosive rates. The latest figure is a 41.9 percent increase over the same period last year, the China Internet Network Information Center said in a report Tuesday.

Related readings:  Mobile Web users rise 113%  Coming under Net scrutiny  CNNIC: 234m Chinese get news via Internet

China's Internet penetration rate is still low, with just 22.6 percent of its population online, leaving more room for rapid growth, according to CNNIC. The Pew Internet and American Life Project places US online penetration at 71 percent.

The financial size of China's online market, however, still trails that of the United States, South Korea and other countries.

The United States had an estimated 223.1 million Internet users in June, according to Nielsen Online, a research firm.

China is preparing to launch third-generation mobile phone service, which supports wireless Web surfing, that is expected to set off a new surge in Internet use.