On the sidelines of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Commerce Minister Chen Deming warned of lingering pressure on the country's foreign trade from weak global demand, rising domestic costs and growing trade protectionism.
Li said full-year foreign trade will likely expand by 6 to 7 percent from last year.
The trade data came after a range of data released on Sunday - including figures for industrial output, consumer inflation and investment - showed signs of revival in the world's second-largest economy.
Figures showed that the country's industrial output has continued to pick up and consumer inflation has remained low, while retail sales have maintained strong growth.
Weighed by waning exports and domestic measures to curb property market speculation, economic growth slowed to 7.4 percent in the third quarter of the year, the lowest growth rate in more than three years.
Most economists and analysts have been putting their forecasts for China's 2012 growth under 8 percent but slightly above the 7.5-percent government target.
To buoy growth, China's central bank has lowered benchmark interest rates twice in the year, as well as cut reserve requirement ratio for commercial banks in February and again in May.
Although 2013 will witness an improvement in external demand, foreign trade can no longer be a driving force for China's future growth, as the country's demographic dividends are running out and the boost created by its entry to the World Trade Organization is phasing out, Liu said.
The country needs to push forward comprehensive structural reforms in order to unleash reform dividends and sustain growth, Liu said.
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