China had 338 million Internet users by the end of June, up 40 million from the end of last year, according to a report released on Thursday by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

Among the total, 320 million, or 94.3 percent, used broadband services, up 3.7 percentage points from the end of 2008.

The number of people using cell phones to access the Internet hit 155 million, up by 32.1 percent in the first half.

Most people used the Internet for news, entertainment and social networking. Online shopping was gaining popularity as the number of shoppers jumped by 14 million in six months to 87.9 million by June.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)