The issue of dairy farmers having difficulty in selling their milk in some regions of the country is not necessarily due to imports of dairy products, Shen Danyang, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

For the whole year of 2014, China's dairy product imports actually registered slower growth compared to the year before, Shen said.

He attributed the milk problem mainly to poor performance of the domestic dairy sector and domestic consumers' lack of confidence in locally made dairy products.

The spokesperson also dismissed excessive concerns about a severe impact of a free trade deal between China and Australia on China's dairy industry.

The two countries signed a declaration of intent on practically concluding bilateral negotiations on a free trade agreement in November 2014.