China is one of the biggest internet markets in the world. The country continued its dominance as its user base grew rapidly in 2016. The rate of growth in the past year was the fastest seen in the previous three years period.

According to a report released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China's internet user base stood at 731 million in December, 2016. The rate of growth has been pegged at 6.2 percent. The country's user base is now equal to the entire population of Europe.

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Chinese authorities have taken a number of steps to increase the reach of internet in the country. It runs a program called 'internet plus' which is geared towards promoting online technology. The report showed that the number of people accessing internet from their mobiles have also increased. 95.1 percent of total internet users access internet using their mobiles, taking the figure to 695 million.

During a December industry conference, Baidu Inc's founder and chief executive Robin Li said, "If you are a startup, and you still pin your hope on mobile internet, there is little hope that you can become a unicorn in this era, because the market has entered a period of flat development."

However, the growth rate has slowed down from double digit growth rate experienced over five years ago. The country gained 43 million new online users in 2016, equaling the population of Ukraine. The internet penetration in China increased 3.1 percent to reach 53.2 percent.

Chinese government has also taken a number of steps to ensure the safety of its citizens in cyberworld. It recently directed Apple to remove objectionable content from its app store.

Tagschina internet network information center, Internet, Mobile Internet