SPATIAL-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL DISPARITIES OF INTERNET DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA

Key words: 
• Internet development /
• regional disparities /
• China

Abstract: This paper attempts to summarize the disparities of Internet development in China spatially-temporally. The major objective is to measure the differences between Eastern, Central and Western China. Methods of map presentation, correlation, Lorenz curve, Gini Coefficient and location quotient analysis are conducted in this study. For convenience, the indicator of regional Internet development is simplified as the number of domain names registered under.CN in each province. The data used are collected from the semi-annual surveys of the Statistical Survey Report on the Internet Development in China since 1999. There are several findings: 1) The number of domain names in each province (city) declines gradually from the east to the west. 2) The gap between the highest growth provinces (cities) and the lowest ones is rather large. 3) Although the absolute differences between the eastern, central and western China have been enlarged, the relative differences in each province (city) have remained constant. 4) Provinces (cities) are classified into three types according to location quotient changes, namely, rising type, changeless type and declining type. Compared with industrial and economic growth, Internet sector in the eastern and western China is relatively ascending, while that in the central China is descending. 5) The number of domain names at provincial level is not statistically consistent with GDP.