According to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) statistics, a total of 253 million people, or 19% of the population, log on to the web regularly. The U.S. had approximately 223 million Internet users in June.
High school students account for 39 million of the total number of China's web users, while people below 30 make up 69% of the total.
"Although its total number of users is now the highest in the world, China is far from an Internet power in terms of penetration rates or commercial value," the newspaper quoted Liu Bing, chief author of the CNNIC report, as saying.
The Internet penetration rate is 21% in Russia. As regards global Internet penetration rates, Greenland, with a population of just 56,000, is in first place with 92%. The Netherlands, with a somewhat larger population - 15,000,000 - is in second place with 90%.
