More on the Net in nation

The number of Internet users in the country grew rapidly in the first half of this year even as the economy suffered from the global downturn, a report by a quasi-government organization showed.

China's Internet user number reached 338 million by the end of June, an increase of 13.4 percent over 2008, a report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) showed. But three-fourths of the populace are still offline, presenting great potential for future growth, it pointed out.

Liu Bing, chief writer of the report, said government efforts to provide subsidies to rural PC buyers and increase investment in basic rural infrastructure encouraged more consumers from remote areas to come online, which played an important role in the growth of China's overall online population amid the global economic slowdown.