Online retail sales up by 17.8% in first half

China, the world's second-largest economy, is actively embracing the burgeoning e-commerce sector, generating 4.82 trillion yuan ($683 billion) in online retail sales during the first six months of this year.

Online retail sales surged 17.8 percent year-on-year in the first half, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the overall retail sales of consumer goods, official data showed.

The healthy data are a reflection of the country's increasing consumption power, the department of electronic commerce and informatization at the Ministry of Commerce said during a media briefing in Beijing.

The significant growth in online retail sales has largely been driven by the booming business-to-consumer online retail business, blossoming e-commerce business in rural areas and the fast-growing cross-border e-commerce sector, according to the ministry.