BEIJING -- China's e-commerce sector has reported steady growth in the first quarter of the year, boosted by the country's pro-consumption policies such as its large-scale consumer goods trade-in program, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

Official data shows that China's online retail sales totaled 3.6 trillion yuan ($499.6 billion) in the first quarter, with online retail sales of physical goods increasing 5.7 percent.

There was also a 7.4-percent increase in online sales of digital products in this period, the ministry said.

It noted that boosted by the release of quality films, China's online entertainment sales volume grew 40 percent in the first three months.

In the first quarter, the government and enterprises have worked together to accelerate the integration of domestic and foreign trade to cope with external risks, the ministry said, noting that more than 10 e-commerce platforms have taken swift measures to deliver quality foreign trade products to domestic households through e-commerce channels.