The number of Internet users in China grew so sharply in 2007 that the country now has the largest Internet user popluation in the world, according to a January report by the state-controlled China Internet Network Information Center as cited by Agence France-Presse.

At the end of 2007, China had 210 million Internet users. This represents a whopping 53% increase over the previous year and translates to 73 million new users.

Increased uptake in rural areas accounted for part of the growth where, so far, the Internet has been slow to come because of low incomes and weak infrastructure. The CNNIC now says there were 52.6 million rural Internet users at the end of 2007, an increase of 127.7% over 2006.

Interestingly, the report says China had 5 million fewer Internet users than the US in 2007 and will have the largest online population of any country beginning in 2008. However, eMarketer estimates there were only 188.1 million US Internet users in 2007, which already puts China well ahead of the world.

More important, however, 210 million users represent just a fraction (16%) of the total Chinese population, meaning there are many more Chinese Internet users to come.