BEIJING — China's online retail sales reached 5.15 trillion yuan (about $736.7 billion) in the first half of 2020, up 7.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

E-commerce has shown strong vitality and resilience, and has played an important role in fighting COVID-19, ensuring the supply of materials, assisting in the resumption of work, and promoting the replenishment of consumption, said MOC spokesperson Gao Feng, at a press conference on July 30.

The growth rate of online retail sales increased for four consecutive months, with this June seeing year-on-year growth of 18.6 percent, said Gao, adding that e-commerce continued to be an anchor stabilizing the consumption market, with its scale expanding and its role becoming more prominent.

The number of e-commerce users in China rose by 100 million compared with last year, and the number of stores on major online retail platforms went up 3.8 percent year-on-year, the MOC data showed.