The fast growth of Internet has become a spotlight in China's information and communications industries, said Vice Ministry of Information Industry Jiang Yaoping on Thursday.

Jiang told a national meeting on Internet that the country's increasing netizens prompted the rapid development of Internet related technologies in China.

Data shows China has 123 million netizens by the end of June this year, ranking the second in the world after the United States.

The number of broad band users reached 77 million, and there are currently 788,000 websites in the country.

Jiang said Internet has played an increasingly important role in promoting China's economic development and improving people's life quality.

Meanwhile, he said China is stepping up efforts in supervising the Internet. With the wide use of Internet in the country, his ministry has already shifted focus from ensuring information and network safety to protecting intellectual property rights, consumers' rights and privacy and business secrets.

A series of rules and regulations have been worked out in this regard, including the Internet Safety Emergency Plan, he noted.

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