Opera today announced that Haier, a leading handset manufacturer and popular consumer brand in China, has chosen to pre-install Opera Mini on three new handsets.

Starting immediately, Haier’s N81, N82 and N86 handsets will come loaded with Opera Mini via its partnership with KongZhong. Similarly, TCL, another well-known brand in China, has opted to pre-install Opera Mini on its upcoming A800 handset.

Today, 54% of people surfing the mobile Web come from outside the US and Europe. According to analytics firm Bango, China has fast risen up the mobile Web surfing charts, securing the position of one of the top six countries in the world to access the mobile Web. Such statistics clearly highlight the rising demand for full Web browsing.

“Opera is addressing a critical need in the marketplace,” said James Wei, Senior Vice President of Opera in Asia. “Service providers in China not only need to provide access to the full Web, they also need to ensure that the consumer experience is as simple and productive as possible. Additionally, costs must be kept under control, while increasing average revenue per user (ARPU). With its heritage of innovation and dedication to quality service, Opera is poised to be an ideal partner in providing the highest level of quality service and capabilities to our customers.”

Opera Mini today boasts a cumulative user base of over 44 million worldwide. According to Opera’s “State of the Mobile Web” report issued in May 2008, more than 11.9 million Opera Mini users browsed 2.4 billion pages and generated more than 33 million MB of data traffic for operators worldwide.

In China, Opera Mini has seen its user base grow by over 700% since January 2007.

Based on research from China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC), for many of China’s tech-savvy citizens, the mobile phone is becoming the preferred means of using the Internet. The number of people who access the Internet through their mobile phone surged to 44 million in the first half from 17 million at the end of last year.