Beijing, Aug 10 (IANS) China's alcohol imports has risen 58.1 percent from a year earlier to $2.4 billion last year, according to the country's commerce ministry.

In 2011, the country imported 500,000 kiloliters (kl) of alcohol, an increase of about 30 percent year on year, Xinhua quoted Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Zengwei as saying at a press conference about an international alcoholic beverage expo that runs from Aug 9 to 13 in Guizhou province.

The country's alcohol exports increased 51.3 percent to $500 million last year, while it sold 270,000 kl of alcohol to overseas markets, Jiang said.

The country currently has 2.17 million registered alcohol businesses, 1.96 million of which are retailers, Jiang added.