The number of internet users in China has overtaken that of the US, according to new research.Figures produced by Beijing-based research firm BDA indicate that the Asian country is now the world's most powerful online nation.
By the end of last year, China reported its number of internet users at 210 million, which was just six million fewer than the US total of 216 million.
Now, however, China is said to have leapfrogged over its Western counterpart, with the number of web surfers in the country reportedly increasing by around 200,000 each day.
"Based on these sources and the assumption that these markets have continued to grow in 2008 to date at the same rates that they grew in 2007, we can conclude that China has by now comfortably surpassed the US as the world's largest internet population," stated BDA analyst Bin Liu.
BDA chairman Duncan Clark added that the web population in China is being driven by a buoyant economy, significant investments in broadband infrastructure and a strong demand among consumers for online applications.
According to the Economic Times of India, the US had until now held the mantle of the top country in terms of internet users ever since the inception of the web. China, meanwhile, moved into second place in 2002, before overtaking the US in this recent development.
