Only 10 percent of Internet users on the Chinese mainland have made transactions on-line, compared with 13 percent in Hong Kong and 10 percent in Taiwan.

Notably, the mainland has seen the use of e-commerce double in six months, an encouraging sign for the mainland's nascent B2C sector, said the survey.

The survey findings from iamasia also reveal that the number of Internet users in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan surpassed 24 million people in the fourth quarter of 2000.

An Internet user is defined as someone who has used the Internet within the four weeks prior to being surveyed.

The gender disparity of the on-line population is narrowing as more women come on-line, investigators said, adding that although Internet users still tend to have much higher incomes than average, such income inequalities are diminishing.

The home remains the most popular location for Internet users to log on. However, there are sharp contrasts between the three markets, according to the survey.

(Xinhua 01/20/2001)