To facilitate easier access to the Internet for users in China, with the ability to use their primary language for the entire domain name.

Millions of Chinese language users will soon be able to access the Internet using Chinese script following a decision today by ICANN's Board of Directors to approve a set of Chinese language internationalized domain names.

"This approval is a significant change for Chinese language users worldwide," said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN. "One fifth of the world speaks Chinese and that means we just increased the potential online accessibility for roughly a billion people."

The new IDN country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and the associated organizations approved by the Board are:

• CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center)
• HKIRC (Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited)
• TWNIC (Taiwan Network Information Center)