China goes shopping on the Web

With 50 million Chinese online, e-commerce is booming

Because only a small percentage of China's millions of Web users own a home computer, Internet cafes provide crucial links to Chinese e-commerce.

By Sue Herera and Steve Dowling
CNBC

SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 14 — Nearly 50 million Chinese people are now online, a phenomenal statistic for a country whose information is tightly controlled by the central government. While still in its infancy, Internet use is rapidly gaining momentum. It’s not only transforming society, but the way business is done.

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