China’s Internet users had reached______ by the end of June.

The China Internet Network Information Center said this week that the nation’s online community is expanding at a rapid pace, with 8.9 million users added in the first half of the year, from January to June. China’s Internet population hit 68 million by the end of June, the world’s second-largest figure after the United States. The figure was 10 million at the end of 2000 and 1.5 million in 1997. "Cyberspace is a force to be reckoned with in China," said Qian Hualin, a senior Internet analyst at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Netizens between the ages of 18 and 30 are the driving force. They spend 13 hours every week surfing the Internet, on average. Their major purpose is obtaining information or having fun. At the same time, only 0.2 percent listed online shopping, e-business, and online learning as their main activity. As the number of China’s Internet users grows, so does the junk mail. 8.3 e-mails out of 16 are junk mail, on average.