Chinese Net users to reach 134 million this year

The number of Chinese Internet users will hit 134 million by the end of this year, according to a survey by research firm Analysys International. The report revealed that by the end of 2004, 103 million Chinese were Net regulars. Analysys added that the surge of Chinese Internet users would advance the development of online games. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, online game subscribers in China rose 61.1 percent between 2003 and 2004. Analysys predicted the number of online gamers would grow to 35 million by the end of this year, which represents a 50 percent increase. In sheer numbers, China's Net use rivals only the United States, which has 188.5 million active users, according to the Computer Industry Almanac.