Slowdown in retail sales expansion

China's retail sales were estimated to grow by 8.7 per cent in 2002, down from the 10.1 per cent expansion recorded in 2001, according to a report published by the State Economic and Trade Commission in December 2002. Fast sales growth in major cities of consumer goods such as cars and mobile phones was balanced by much slower growth in rural areas. An earlier report by the National Bureau of Statistics said that urban retail sales rose by 10.4 per cent year-on-year in November 2002, while rural sales rose by only 7 per cent.