China's retail sales rose 18.1 percent annually to an 11-month high in December, bolstered by robust demand in the run-up to the new year and the Spring Festival.

Retail sales climbed from a year earlier to CNY1.77 trillion (USD281 billion) last month, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.

For last year retail sales grew 17.1 percent. In November they rose 17.3 percent annually.