Chinese Internet auction and e-commerce website Taobao.com has announced that its trade value in 2008 reached CNY99.96 billion, making it one of the largest comprehensive shopping platforms in China.

Sellers of special goods such as food and healthcare products must present relevant certificates before they can sell their goods on Internet auction website Taobao.com.

Hong Kong says it will introduce the Product Eco-responsibility Bill into the Legislative Council to provide a legal framework for implementing producer responsibility schemes, with the environmental levy on plastic shopping bags as the first scheme under the bill.

Eric Legros, president of Carrefour China, has reportedly arrived in Chongqing to deal with problems arising from a deadly stampede that occurred at Carrefour's Chongqing outlet on November 10.