China Surpases U.S. With 298 Million Internet Users

Beijing, China (AHN) - China's rapidly growing population of Internet users has risen dramatically to about 298 million after surpassing the United States to become the world's largest, said a government-sanctioned research group.

According to reports, China's internet use is growing at a rapid rate, with the latest figures representing a 41.9 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

Despite the increase, China's internet penetration remained at 22.6 percent, well under the U.S. online penetration rate of 71 percent. Furthermore, the financial size of China's online market still trails that of the United States, South Korea and other countries.

However, despite government censorship, 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 for the rapidly developing country.