In China, Internet commerce has jumped 60% in the first half of 2010

The internet sales in China rose 60% in the first half of 2010 compared to the same period of 2009 to reach 2,250 billion yuan (257 billion euros), according to a study released Wednesday.

Transactions on the Internet include both sales to individuals as those between companies, and business deals between consumers.

They are high in total between January and June 2250 billion yuan (257 billion euros), according to a report by the Center for Research on Chinese e-commerce, quoted by the daily English-language China Daily.

For the full year 2009, online sales in China reached 3600 billion yuan, according to the Deputy Director of Government Information Office, Qian Xiaoqian, quoted by the newspaper.

The number of sites selling online was 20 700 in late June and could reach 23,000 by the end of the year, said the source.

The number of Internet users in China, currently about 420 million, continues to grow and many companies are attracted to this market with strong potential.

Adidas announced this week the opening of an online store on the largest online auction China, Taobao.

According to Qian, the growth of online sales should be about 35% annually over the next few years in China, while develop new means of payment, including mobile phones.