276
China
protect their national interest, and take steps toward this. This is essential for their
political stability as well as normal conduct of economic and social life. These facts
about the diffi culties of developing nations, though understood by politicians like
Clinton, are not communicated to the people of Western countries. Instead, those
politicians publicize and pursue their claims purely from a Western standpoint. ”
27 On
the Chinese Foreign Ministry Web site, spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu offi cially stated, “ We
urge the US to respect facts and stop attacking China under the excuse of the so-called
freedom of Internet. ”
28
Internet in China
Like many of its neighbors in Asia, China has sought to balance the benefi ts that
technological growth can bring to socioeconomic development with the potential
risks to the government ’ s control over media and information dissemination. Despite
the rapid spread of Internet access throughout its vast population, China also has one
of the largest and most sophisticated Internet fi ltering systems in the world.
Although access to the Internet in China is low relative to much of the world, it is
growing rapidly and expanding into previously inaccessible regions. Despite a penetration rate of only 28.9 percent, the country ’ s population means it has the most Internet
users in the world.
29 The growth rate of China ’ s user base has exceeded 20 percent for
each year since 2006, reaching a peak of 53.3 percent in 2007.
30 Because the population has also grown since 2001, Internet users have increased more than tenfold —
from 33 million to 388 million users by 2009.
31
The majority of users access the Internet at home, although Internet caf é s remain
a means of access for an estimated one-third of users.
32 Broadband remains the most
popular means of connectivity, with 103 million broadband users by 2009.
33
Despite this large and growing population of users, Internet access is not evenly
distributed. Most signifi cant is the urban/rural divide, although this gap has closed in
recent years as a result of initiatives to expand rural access.
34 As of January 2011, the
China Internet Network Information Center reports that the number of urban Internet
users was more than three times greater than the number of rural users.
35
Other disparities in Internet access in China persist. The gender gap increased to
more than 10 percent by 2010, with males making up 55.8 percent of users.
36 There
is a signifi cant age gap in access — almost 60 percent of users are under age 30, although
the proportion of older users has increased.
37
One area where China has seen tremendous growth and which offers the potential
to alleviate the rural/urban imbalance is the mobile sector. Following the 2008 restructuring of China ’ s telecom industry, the mobile services on offer expanded signifi cantly.
The number of mobile phones in use in China has multiplied almost tenfold in a
decade, with an estimated one billion phones and a 73.5 percent penetration rate by
China
protect their national interest, and take steps toward this. This is essential for their
political stability as well as normal conduct of economic and social life. These facts
about the diffi culties of developing nations, though understood by politicians like
Clinton, are not communicated to the people of Western countries. Instead, those
politicians publicize and pursue their claims purely from a Western standpoint. ”
27 On
the Chinese Foreign Ministry Web site, spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu offi cially stated, “ We
urge the US to respect facts and stop attacking China under the excuse of the so-called
freedom of Internet. ”
28
Internet in China
Like many of its neighbors in Asia, China has sought to balance the benefi ts that
technological growth can bring to socioeconomic development with the potential
risks to the government ’ s control over media and information dissemination. Despite
the rapid spread of Internet access throughout its vast population, China also has one
of the largest and most sophisticated Internet fi ltering systems in the world.
Although access to the Internet in China is low relative to much of the world, it is
growing rapidly and expanding into previously inaccessible regions. Despite a penetration rate of only 28.9 percent, the country ’ s population means it has the most Internet
users in the world.
29 The growth rate of China ’ s user base has exceeded 20 percent for
each year since 2006, reaching a peak of 53.3 percent in 2007.
30 Because the population has also grown since 2001, Internet users have increased more than tenfold —
from 33 million to 388 million users by 2009.
31
The majority of users access the Internet at home, although Internet caf é s remain
a means of access for an estimated one-third of users.
32 Broadband remains the most
popular means of connectivity, with 103 million broadband users by 2009.
33
Despite this large and growing population of users, Internet access is not evenly
distributed. Most signifi cant is the urban/rural divide, although this gap has closed in
recent years as a result of initiatives to expand rural access.
34 As of January 2011, the
China Internet Network Information Center reports that the number of urban Internet
users was more than three times greater than the number of rural users.
35
Other disparities in Internet access in China persist. The gender gap increased to
more than 10 percent by 2010, with males making up 55.8 percent of users.
36 There
is a signifi cant age gap in access — almost 60 percent of users are under age 30, although
the proportion of older users has increased.
37
One area where China has seen tremendous growth and which offers the potential
to alleviate the rural/urban imbalance is the mobile sector. Following the 2008 restructuring of China ’ s telecom industry, the mobile services on offer expanded signifi cantly.
The number of mobile phones in use in China has multiplied almost tenfold in a
decade, with an estimated one billion phones and a 73.5 percent penetration rate by