China's online game accounts went up to 265 million last year registering a 41.5 per cent year on year increase, according to a blue paper released by a publishing house.

The paper, published by China's Social Sciences Academic Press(SSAP), said more Chinese are living a lifestyle in which the Internet has become a preferred channel for them to purchase goods, seek entertainment and acquire information.

The number of China's online shoppers topped 108 million in 2009, rising 45.9 per cent from the previous year, it said.

China has the world's biggest online population, which stood at 420 million by the end of June, up 36 million from December last year.

The SSAP is a publishing institution under the leadership of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank.