Last year, China passed the United States when it came to the largest number of Internet users. Now, it's widening its lead.

A government-sanctioned research group says the number of Internet users in China is up to 298 million. That represents a 41.9-percent increase over the same period last year.

While the number of Internet users is higher than that of the U.S., the percentage of Chinese using the Internet is still relatively low. Just under 23 percent of China's population is online, while an American-based estimate puts U.S. online penetration at 71 percent.