Ministry: online sales lead retail sector

New data show that online retail is now a driving force of consumption, which is considered a major contributor to China's economic growth.

According to figures released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics, online consumption totaled 81.5 billion yuan ($13 billion) in the period from January to March, which was up 51.7 percent from the same quarter in 2013.

The rate outpaced that of the total retail sales of consumer goods, which amounted to 6.2 trillion yuan and recorded a moderate 12 percent year-on-year growth.