[Xinhua is the offcial news agency of the People's Republic of China]

LANZHOU (Oct. 21) XINHUA - The world-wide internet has arrived in China's northwest region, marking a milestone in China's march along the information super highway.

An Internet access point has been built and brought into operation in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

The facility, the first of its kind in the northwest region, has been jointly sponsored by the Scientific and Technological Information Department of the State Science and Technology Commission and Gansu Provincial Committee of Science and Technology.

Experts said that the event signifies that China's information super highway is being brought into the international inter-connected information network.

It will also produce a profound effect on the economic activities of northwest China and local people's lives, they say.

According to the experts, the access point has also been linked with seven other similar points in China, forming a huge computer web information network.

The experts added that currently they provide customers with three services through the access point: information from Internet, from the China Scientific and Technological Information Network and from the Gansu Provincial Scientific and Technological Information Network.