The earthquake in Taiwan on Tuesday night made its presence felt in many parts of Asia, leaving Internet users unable to access foreign websites.

The earthquake has caused disruptions to the undersea cables, resulting in slow Internet access to some sites.

While the Internet has made the world connected, or "flat," in New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman's words, the global village is subject to the curse of natural disasters.

The earthquake in Taiwan dealt a serious blow to those sectors that depend heavily on the Internet, such as IT, international trade, media and finance. Meanwhile for hapless Internet surfers, disconnected from the Web for the past two days, it seemed to be the end of the world.

The disaster displays how closely we are connected through the Internet.

If suspension of communications between China and the United States had happened 10 years ago, ordinary citizens would have been free from its impact.

The Web has cast a huge net on today's Earth, hooking up every corner of the world. It has grown into a powerful engine behind fast-moving globalization.

China is no exception to the Web-connected world. A large number of companies and enterprises count on the Web for a multiplicity of clients and information. The Internet takes hold of their earnings, profit and even existence.

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