The number of Chinese Internet users stood at 132 million at the end of 2006, second only to the United States, according to a report from the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) on Thursday.

The number of Internet users broke 100 million in the first half of 2005, and had increased about 30 percent since, MII statistics showed.

The use of the Internet is increasing among the Chinese public and businesses. The fast growth of users has pushed up the business expansion of e-commerce, Internet advertising, and online games, the report said. The number of broadband subscribers stands at 52 million, according to the report.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2006)