FM

Asked to comment on China's August trade data, which showed a slower exports growth rate, with some attributing it to declining exports to the US, and robust trade with the EU, ASEAN, Africa and Latin America, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that despite the increasing instability and uncertainty in today's world economy, China's foreign trade kept growing and maintained steady development.

Latest statistics show that in the first eight months of this year, China's trade in goods went up by 3.5 percent year-on-year. For some time, China has witnessed growth in its import and export with countries in the EU, ASEAN, BRICS and Africa, especially BRI partner countries, and a significant proportion of the growth was contributed by foreign-funded companies in China, Lin noted.

The diversity in China's foreign trade not only effectively alleviated the impact brought by the volatility of the external trade environment and promoted the stability and improvement of global industrial and supply chains, but also delivered tangible benefit to both domestic and international consumers as well as companies from all countries operating in China, according to the spokesperson.

"Facts prove once again that China's foreign trade remains an important source of growth for global trade and the Chinese economy remains a vital pillar for global economic growth," Lin said. "We believe that as we continue to see the effect of the full range of policies China has adopted, the Chinese economy will continue to unleash more vitality and potential and continue to inject the precious certainty to global economic growth."

Global Times