China now has 298 million Internet users

The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) reports the number of Internet users in China soared nearly 42 percent to 298 million by the end of 2008. More than a fifth of the Chinese population now has access to the Internet and mobile Internet is growing strong as well, the institute states the number of mobile web users surged 113 percent to 117.6 million last year.

The number of mobile Web surfers surged 113 percent to 117.6 million in 2008 and mobile Internet is expected to grow explosively in the next few years after the recent issuance of third-generation (3G) licenses, the state-run agency said.

The Internet penetration rate in China has risen to 22.6 percent, slightly higher than the world's average of 21.9 percent, CNNIC said in a report on Tuesday.

In addition, the number of Internet news readers has risen to 2.34 million and websites have become a crucial area for publicity, the report said.