SHANGHAI, May 30 -- BUSINESSMEN or other city residents looking for a little extra guanxi - useful connections - can now buy it online, a practice some worry could lead to an increase in corruption.

Officials with the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau said they will keep a close eye on the Website to ensure no illegal transactions take place.

Users of the Website (www.zhike.com) can pay money to other members to finish a task or hook them up with a useful contact, for which the site charges a 20 percent commission.

The site, which was set up on March 12, claims to be the first Internet platform in China dealing in the "social relations" trade. To date, more than 20 users have advertised on the site for someone who can help them with a problem and two deals have been completed.

A user surnamed Zhou who had just moved to the city offered 1,000 yuan (US$130) to anyone who could help get his child into a top kindergarten.

"It is extremely difficult to get my child into the kindergarten if I don't have any relations. There's always a complicated social relations network," he said. "I also have to spend money if I beg acquaintances for help and owe a favor. So I prefer to look for the useful relations on the Website."

A businessman on the site is searching for someone who can introduce him to market watchdogs, while other users are looking for trained professionals to hire and the top pharmacist at a local hospital.

The site's manager surnamed Chen compared Zhike to other large e-commerce Websites like eBay and Taobao. As long as users don't engage in illegal transactions, it is reasonable to buy and sell social connections, he said.

Some lawyers in the city question the legality of the whole site, however.

Ni Linghua at Shanghai Orient Justice Law Firm said if a person who has the required social relations charges, he or she may be involved in corruption and the Website could be found legally responsible.

Zheng Qi, a lawyer with Shanghai Zhendan Law Firm, said even if no illegal trades are conducted, the Website's behavior shouldn't be encouraged because it encourages corrupt behavior.