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China adds 51 million web users in 2012

China adds 51 million web users in 2012

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Flickr | China flag
Flickr | China flag

It should come as no surprise that web use is up worldwide in 2012, but some countries are feeling it more than others. China saw its internet-connected population swell to 564 million, up 10 percent over last year, reports the AP. That’s an increase of 51 million users — equal to one and a third times the population of California, the entire population of Spain, or nearly half the population of Japan.

The increase owes to a huge increase in mobile web users — up 18.1 percent over last year to 420 million, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC). And the growth hasn’t been going unnoticed. Apple CEO Tim Cook met with China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua last week to discuss "matters of cooperation," and the company’s newest iPad mini and 4th-gen iPad devices are slated for release there later this week.