"If you don't have a payment card and close a deal by yourself, you won't feel the wonder of online shopping," said Chen Deming, minister of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

Chen expressed his fondness of e-commerce when talking about the transition period of China's commercial development over the next five years.

Chen said the Ministry of Commerce will focus on promoting convenient consumption in the future, such as E-commerce.

"As a southerner, I can easily buy my favorite food that I can't find in Beijing, a northern city," he said.

Chen also said when he was buying a present for his wife's birthday, he found that a 1650-yuan ($249) DVD was priced at 890 yuan ($134) online. Meanwhile, aside from the convenience and low prices for customers, online shopping reduces the intermediate links of trade.

According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Commerce, the total sales of online trading in 2010 reached 450 billion yuan ($67.88 billion), 2.3 times the sales five years ago.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2011)