THE number of Internet users in China will surpass that of the United States and become the world's largest before the end of 2008, a senior official with the Ministry of Information Industry said yesterday.

China had an online community of 162 million by the end of June, increasing 30 million in six months, said Hong Jing, deputy director of the ministry's development department.

The Internet will be increasingly important as it greatly promotes the construction of information industry, Hong said.

The number of netizens jumped 31.7 percent in China by the end of June, ranking second in the world next to the United States with 211 million, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.