Backed by China's Ministry of Information Industry, the State Council Informatization Office, Information Office of the State Council and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Internet Network Information Center has announced that all .CN domains can now be purchased for only one yuan.
This special deal lasts until May 31 on the first year of any new domain name purchases, applies to many China-based domain name registrars, and is aimed at promoting economic development within the Chinese Internet.
CNNIC data shows that there are 1.8 million .CN domain names registered in China. These Chinese domain extensions are touted as more secure and a patriotic alternative to foreign domain name extensions like .com and .net because the Chinese government has control over them and they are not in the hands of foreign agencies.
On the flip side, allowing domain names to be registered so cheaply might spur email spammers and online criminals to buy large quantities of domain names and then use those to cloak their online activities and identities.