Learning Chinese: Chinese Internet users hit record high

About 40 percent of Chinese citizens use the Internet, with the total Internet population reaching 538 million by June, when cell phones became the most frequently used device for going online in China, a recent report showed.

Photo: Global Times

The mobile Internet population, totaling 388 million, outnumbered desktop users for the first time due to the rising popularity of smart phones and innovative mobile applications, according to a report released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) Thursday.

While the number of Mobile Internet users increased by 32.7 million from the end of 2011, the percentage of people who use desktop computers has seen a 2.7 percentage point fall compared with the second half of 2011, said the report.

"Smart phones are getting cheaper, and we have plenty of mobile online applications to meet various needs, such as instant messengers and Weibo," said Zhao Chenchao, who works at a computer games company in Beijing.

The CNNIC report also revealed that 27.7 percent of mobile Internet users watch online videos with cell phones.

The Internet has facilitated people's life and work, affecting China's economy with all industries using the Internet as a major means for development, but it also raised government costs for social supervision and management, experts said.
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Source: Global Times