BOSTON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses outside of China are now allowed to register Chinese domain names, according to a newly liberalized policy approved by the People's Republic of China. .CN Domain names are available on a first-come, first-served basis only from China-accredited Registrars, such as EnCirca.com.

"China will be leading the next wave of Internet growth," says Thomas Barrett, CEO of EnCirca.com. "Any business who does e-commerce with international customers, should be formulating their strategy for China now."

Companies worldwide can now participate in China's booming economy via the Internet. China has the world's second largest population of Internet users. According to Netratings, Inc., there are currently over 56 million Internet users in China. China is expected to surpass the US in Internet users within the next 2-3 years. With China's entrance into the World Trade Organization, international trade is also expected to accelerate.

"The .CN domain is ideal for two types of US businesses," according to Barrett. "US businesses expecting to conduct business with the People's Republic of China, and US businesses that target the fast-growing Asian-American ethnic group."

Asian-Americans are one of the fast growing minority groups in the country, according to a 2001 study by the Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund. In addition, Asian-Americans have the highest Internet use of any ethnic group: with over 70% using the Internet, according to a Pew Internet Project called "Asian-Americans and the Web: The Young and the Connected."

EnCirca is accepting real-time registrations now at http://www.encirca.com. The available domains will be one of three types: com.cn, net.cn, and org.cn. Since the most desirable names will be registered first, businesses should apply early to make sure they get their desired domain name. Trademark owners concerned about cybersquatting should also ensure their trademarks are protected.

About EnCirca, Inc.
EnCirca, Inc. is a Massachusetts-based accredited domain name registrar formed in 2001. It provides registrations services for trademark owners, small businesses and consumers worldwide. In addition to .cn, EnCirca also supports .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info and .us. Visit http://www.encirca.com/ for more information.

Contact:
Kate Moran
Phone: 781-942-9975
Email: PR@encirca.com