Victor Koo former president of sohu talks about the internet in China

From CHINAdaily.com: A man who has got IT in the Net

Koo is optimistic about China's Internet industry. "China has formed a unique front and is leading the world in some areas. We're ranked second, next only to the US, in terms of the number of Net users. But we're still far behind when the size of the industry is measured in terms of revenue."

"In China, the Net has a far greater impact on the people's lifestyle, whereas in the US it directly affects commerce. That portends well for our future here. It means China still has a lot of potential for growth," he says.

China doesn't simply have to learn from the US model. "We learn from the best from across the world. For example, South Korea is far ahead of the US in broadband and online games. So the South Koreans can help point the way for us in those areas. For, as far as mobile applications are concerned, China has surpassed the US."

This raises hope, Koo says, of an Asian Net firm buying out a US rival in the near future - the way Lenovo acquired IBM's PC business. "To a certain extent, this is already happening", he says, referring to the acquisition of Lycos US by Daum, a South Korean company. Read more