China Telecom's Beijing branch has opened a flagship store on the Internet shopping website Taobao.com.

One of the largest instant bean noodles companies in China, Sichuan Baijia Food Company, has announced plans to enter China's online direct sales sector from the end of March 2009.

In response to a survey launched by Sina.com on the new rules for online shops that went into effect on August 1, 2008 in Beijing, about 90% netizens said they are against the new rules and over 80% of them thought the rules would discourage online sellers.

By Francis Peters Although Internet usage in China has boomed over the past ten years, the nation's retail e-commerce is still in startup mode, particularly compared to the United States.