China's retail sales increased 9.9 percent year-on-year to 360.96 billion yuan (about US$43.49 billion) in Aug., keeping roughly the same growth rate of July, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to a monthly report released by NBS Tuesday, sales of the catering service accelerated in August and they accounted for 13.8 percent of China's social retail sales in the month.

Sales of construction and decoration materials surged 43.1 percent, furniture 36.2 percent, automotive products 60 percent, communications apparatus 82 percent, cosmetics 20.7 percent and jewelry 18.3 percent year-on-year in August, according to the report.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2003)