China's Internet and blogging populations rise

In March last year, the number of Internet users in China surpassed that of the U.S., and now the number of bloggers in the Asian superpower is reaching new heights, too.

by Helen Leggatt

china flag.jpg In March, 2008, when China's online population overtook that of the U.S., there were 220 million Internet users. Figures from December, 2008, show that China's online population now stands at 290 million.

With the growth in online users has come a rise in the number of bloggers. The Internet Society of China, a body which represents firms such as service providers, network access carriers and research institutes, released figures this week that put the number of bloggers in China at 50 million, three million more than a year ago.

According to Gao Lulin, deputy head of the Internet Society of China, the first blog recorded in China was in 2001. Now, there are 100 million blogs. "More and more Chinese want to express their own views about local and international events through the Internet," said Lulin.

Blogging is not without its perils in China, with the Communist Party keen to keep tabs on what information is broadcast. However, with even more censored news, blogs plug the information gap, often reporting information considered off-limits by the general media.

Meanwhile, China's population continues to rise, with the birth of a baby boy on January 6th pushing the number of citizens to over 1.3 billion.