The Internet.

There are now 137 million Internet users in China – making it the world’s second largest market after the US. Of these, 90.7 million have a broadband connection, and 17 million now access the Internet primarily via a wireless device. Internet users are more likely to be urban dwellers, with nearly 60 percent of all users living in Beijing or Shanghai. E-mail, news and search are the most common uses of the Internet in China (in that order). Blogs and community websites are becoming increasingly popular and influential, however Chinese bloggers seldom link to many other blogs – so linking is not as good a measure of popularity as it is in the West.

Internet filtering and censorship is prevalent to such an extent that it has been called the Great Firewall of China. Companies that supply equipment and access to the Internet, or which do business on the web, need to be aware of the situation in China, and how their actions in China may be perceived globally.

Upstream in China regularly distributes client news to Sina.com and other websites as soon as it happens. Many journalists surf websites for information, and this information gets picked up by print and even electronic media, as well as reaching Internet users, and can be found by search engines.

Savvy businesses are not only driving their news online, but also creating consumer microsites and conducting targeted e-mail marketing campaigns directed at customers and prospects. Mobile marketing is another exciting consumer opportunity. In addition to brand building, the Internet is particularly powerful for reaching the important youth market, with nearly 50 percent of all Internet users in China between 18 and 30 years old.