FRANKFURT - Aldi South, the German discount supermarket giant, is planning to open up to 50 branches in China, a German press reported on Thursday.

Aldi South, one of the leading low-budget supermarket chains in Germany, has put together a team for its expansion in China, the Lebensmittel Zeitung, a German weekly newspaper for executives in the food industry and in commerce, reported.

It will be one of the biggest expansion plans in the history of the company, the report said.

Aldi South has already opened its first online shop in China on the platform of Tmall, which is run by Alibaba group in China.

The company has not commented on the report.

The discounter offers groceries including wine, snack, breakfast and organic food products at its flagship Tmall store through its Australian suppliers.