Strong growth in Chinese online sales

The value of Chinese retail sales via the Internet recorded a growth of 49,7 percent last year, reaching 2,8 trillion yuan, or about 450 billion dollars.

The share of online trade in the total retail turnover last year was 10,6 percent, with a growth of 32,5 percent, the Center for Electronic Trade Research announced.

The center's report, based on data from China's largest companies, showed that online retail's growth is being fueled by its expansion into rural areas, international transactions and sellers appearing on social networks, such as Vi-cet.