Strange

Chinese Internet users number 210 million

by cynthia yoo | January 18, 2008 at 10:54 am

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The news that China's Internet users reached 210 million by the end of 2007 makes the Chinese mainland the world's second largest netizen population and it is expected that China will overtake the first spot within this decade.

CNNIC's data shows that by December last year, there were 163 million broadband users and 50.4 million wireless users in China.

As always, the rush of foreign companies into the Chinese market is accompanied by worries over Chinese government censorship.

Participation in China's Internet economy has led to plenty of criticism for American firms doing business there, while adhering to censorship requirements. The companies have repeated the same mantra when challenged over this: we have to obey local laws.

Fine, except one doesn't see Internet companies fighting for the chance to crack the market in Burma (Myanmar, population ~47 million), where a military junta has held power for years and most definitely has a vigorous censorship policy in place. Some censoring nations are more acceptable than others, particularly with burgeoning middle classes of Internet users.