Nearly one in 10 Chinese have Internet access and many regularly go online to read news, chat with friends, shop, and engage in debates.

Last year, Chinese Internet users spent a monthly average of 170 yuan (21.79 U.S. dollars) online, including the costs of Internet access, on-line shopping and games, compared with 150 yuan in 2005. The on-line consumer market expanded by 47 percent over the previous year, according to the China Internet Survey Report 2007 released this month.

The report also showed the number of Chinese bloggers reached 20.8 million at the end of last year, of whom 3.15 million are active authors.

The rising number of bloggers also caused problems and disputes. In 2006, blog piracy, infringement and "irresponsible" publications prompted the government to commission a study on the implementation of real-name blogs.

China Internet Association Councillor Hu Qiheng said the government was considering new ways to supervise blogs, requiring bloggers to identify themselves when they register, even if they write under a pseudonym.

The Ministry of Culture in December ordered all music distributors to register and apply for approval from cultural authorities to distribute imported music products on the Internet.

It also required online music based on music products copied or composed by netizens for non-profit purposes to be monitored more closely, saying some products had poor quality, or content that abused ethnic traditions or affected social stability.

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