In fact, many analysts feel that the number of Internet users in China will surpass the number of US users within two years. At the current rate of growth it is forecast that Chinese Internet users will exceed the 210 million US users by 2009.
Importantly, over 90 million of those users are already connected by broadband — on some 35 million computers.
Therein lies an important distinction.
As findings from Vital Wave Consulting indicate, not all Internet users are potential customers.
While the Chinese government figures show nearly 140 million Chinese users, there are less than half that many connected computers. Vital Wave estimates that 50% or more of the users in China connect on shared-access points, such as Internet cafes and school labs, or by hand-held mobile devises.
Until the gap between Internet usage and computer ownership in China narrows, the market opportunities for hardware and software providers will not be as prevalent as the usage numbers would normally indicate.
"Without doubt, China is a considerable current and future market opportunity for many technology companies," said Brooke Partridge, founder of Vital Wire. "But to tap into that market, business managers have to evaluate market data in the context of their own business model."
Access aside, the CNNIC figures show that Chinese Internet users closely resemble users around the world, though the user population does skew more male than female.
Online, the Chinese tend to do exactly the same things as the rest of the world's users: check e-mail, read the news and search for and acquire information.
