/technology
BEIJING, China (AP) -- China says its fast-growing population of Internet users has surpassed the United States to become the world's biggest, with 253 million people on-line at the end of June.
China's Web usage is growing at explosive rates despite government efforts to block access to sites deemed subversive or pornographic. The financial size of China's on-line market trails those of the United States, South Korea and other countries.
The China Internet Network Information Center said Friday the latest figure on Internet users is a 56 percent increase over the same time last year.
According to Nielsen Online, a research firm, the United States had an estimated 223.1 million Internet users in June.
According to CNNIC, China's Internet penetration is still low at just 19.1 percent.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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