“The popularity of the Internet in China has driven the explosive growth of profitable Web companies and made fortunes for some Chinese entrepreneurs despite government controls on what the public can see online. The number of mainland Internet users rose to 513 million in December, up 12 percent from a year earlier, the government-sanctioned China Internet Network Information Center said”. – AP Business Writer

Photo: Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Temple, works on the computer April 8, 2005 in Dengfeng, Henan Province, China. (Photo by Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

People run in panic after a coalition airstrike hit Islamic State fighters positions in Tahrir neighbourhood of Mosul, Iraq, November 17, 2016. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Aerial view of pond cypress at Qinglongwan Forest Park near Ningguo, China on November 26, 2017. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Staff members clean the court during the Women's Preliminary Round - Pool B volleyball match between China and Argentina on day ten of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Arena on August 2, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

A one-horned rhinoceros crosses a road inside Kaziranga national park on the eve of the World Rhino Day in Gauhati, India, Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Kaziranga is home to nearly 2,500 one-horned rhinos and is the world’s largest habitat for the rare animal. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)

A member of the public wears a pandemic face mask ahead of the prime minister announcing the government's Covid-19 winter strategy on September 13, 2021 in Manchester, England. Tomorrow, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to manage Covid-19 through the winter, including what actions would need to be taken if the NHS hospital system were at risk of being overwhelmed. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

A pro-government supporter scuffles with an anti-extradition supporter outside the office of pro-China lawmaker Junius Ho in Tsuen Wan in Hong Kong, China on July 22, 2019. Hong Kong demonstrators gathered for another weekend of protests against the controversial extradition bill and with a growing list of grievances, maintaining pressure on Chief Executive Carrie Lam. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

Female body builders flex their muscles as they compete in the 2nd Women Sports Model contest in Guwahati on April 2, 2023. (Photo by Biju Boro/AFP Photo)