According to the CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center),
China is the largest wired nation with more than 253 million people connected to the web.

For a comparison, the Nielsen Ratings report about 223 million Americans using the internet services.
Ever since analysts began examining the number of internet users, United States was leading all data-charts in that area. This year, it’s the first time china surpassing the U.S., and the numbers should get even higher.

Though the impressive figures, China’s economy is still far behind its American opponent; even South-Korea is more successful than China, financially speaking.

A new poll revealed that 71.9% of Chinese believe that the internet will become a tool for greater democracy in China. Beijing Youth Daily conducted the poll earlier this year, immediately after the revolutionary online chat that President Hu Jintao held with Chinese internet users this June. The chat itself was seen as a sign that Chinese government officials are interested in consulting with their citizens and in learning their views; 56.8% of participants in the poll felt the chat demonstrated the government was moving towards being sensitive to public opinion.

Of the 2,874 people polled, 47% said that they often express their opinions online and a further 43.6% occasionally express their opinions online. When asked on which platforms those polled express themselves, three websites ranked as the most popular: qq.com or QQ messenger, with 60.5%, Sina.com, with 44.5% and Netease.com, with 44.1%. Other websites include rivals, Sohu.com, with 27.5%, and local campus networks, with 25.1% of those polled.

However, despite the sudden openness the government is demonstrating, the internet is still censored rigorously in China, and various bodies have reported arrests of bloggers following their online criticism of the authorities. In fact, only 26% of users polled said they thought that people should use their true identities online. Nevertheless, 66.9% said they thought that reasonable and polite expression should be encouraged.