China now has 123 million Internet users
(chinadaily.com.cn/agencies)
Updated: 2006-07-19 15:39
China's population of Internet users, already the world's second-biggest
after the U.S., has jumped by nearly 20 percent over the past year to 123
million, with broadband access soaring, it was announced Wednesday.
The
United States has some 204 million Internet users.
The number of Web
sites in China rose by more than 110,000 to a total of 788,400, the China
Internet Network Information Center said in an annual survey.
China
encourages Internet use for business and education and has invested heavily in
broadband service, but materials considered pornographic or subversive are not
allowed.
The number of Internet users in China with broadband service
jumped by 45 percent over the past year to 77 million, or about two-thirds of
the total online population, the Internet agency said.
The average
Chinese Internet user now spends 16.5 hours per week online, a new record high,
the agency said.
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