Note 1 - Organization and Nature of Operations

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Notes to Financial Statements

Nature of Operations [Text Block]

1. Organization and nature of operations

ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Texas in

April

2006

and re-domiciled to become a Nevada corporation in

October

2006.

On

June

26,

2009,

the Company consummated a share exchange transaction with China Net Online Media Group Limited (the “Share Exchange”), a company organized under the laws of British Virgin Islands (“China Net BVI”). As a result of the Share Exchange, China Net BVI became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and the Company is now a holding company, which, through certain contractual arrangements with operating companies in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), is engaged in providing advertising, precision marketing, online to offline

(O2O)

sales channel expansion and the related data services to small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) and entrepreneurial management and networking services for entrepreneurs in the PRC.

As of

March

31,

2017,

the Company operated its business primarily in China through its PRC subsidiaries and PRC operating entities, or Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”) as discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form

10

-K for the fiscal year ended

December

31,

2016,

previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the

“2016

Form

10

-K”).