The China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC), reported this week that the nation's online community is continuing to expand at a rapid pace, with 8.9 million new users in the first half of the year.

China's Internet population hit 68 million at the end of June, the second highest number in the world, following the United States. The latest official statistics reported the figure was only 8.9 million by the end of 2000 and 620,000 in 1997.