China now has 132 million internet users, up from 123 million in June 2006 - a 30 per cent growth over the last year, reports Xinhua news agency. Of these 52 million have access to broadband.

China has the world's second internet users after the United States, with the government encouraging the use of the internet for education and business, though the net has spawned online transctions, internet advertising and gaming industries, says Xinhua.

The Chinese government faces criticism for censoring sites it considers subversive or offensive, with internet users often being jailed for posting material the government considers subversive, a charge the government has denied saying its regulation of the internet conform to practices prevalent elsewhere in the world line with the rest of the world.