China residents logging on in greater numbers

The number of Internet users in China increased by 30 percent last year, according to one of the country's government-sponsored news agencies. The total number of Internet users in China is now approximately 132 million, of whom 52 million (about 39 percent) are using broadband. By comparison, there are approximately 207 million Internet users in the United States.

China now boasts more Internet users than any other country in Asia, followed by Japan with 86 million. Larger than the Internet populations of Africa, Australia, and the Middle East combined, China's 132 million makes up over 30 percent of the total Internet population of Asia, which is approximately 387 million. The total global number of Internet users is thought to be just over a billion—less than a sixth of the planet's inhabitants.

Although Internet access isn't quite ubiquitous yet in China, other communications technologies are extremely pervasive. According to statistics provided by the Chinese embassy, the number of cell phone users in China isgreaterr than 430 million, which means that the country could potentially account for almost half of all cell phone purchases around the world.

As China's Internet population continues to increase, it could become more difficult for the Chinese government to enforce and maintain its censorship mechanisms. Often criticized by the international community for jailing Internet journalists who criticize state policy, the Chinese government uses complex firewalls to limit the accessibility of content that is sexual or critical of the country's government. According to United Press International, Chinese Internet users are increasingly using fake identity card numbers in order to access web sites and Internet games anonymously.

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