China's internet population increased by almost one-third during 2006, reinforcing the country's position as one of the most powerful internet economies in the world.

The total number of people using the internet in China has risen to 132 million, according to the state news agency Xinhua. The number of people accessing the web on high-speed broadband connections also rose rapidly to 52 million.

Such figures indicate 30% growth in the number of web users in just 12 months in the nation of more than 1.3 billion people.