China did not give explicit trade forecasts for 2016 in its latest government work report because it is not realistic to do so amid the current complicated and gloomy outlook on global trade, China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said Wednesday.

China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng.

In the country’s t government work report, delivered by Premier Li Keqiang, China did not provide a quantitative trade target. The report, however, contained qualitative generalities, such as the nation aims for “a steady rise in import and export volumes” and “a basic balance in international payments.”

The absence of quantitative goals captured the attention from the media. Deputies attending this year’s two sessions also discussed how to optimize China’s trade structure.

The complicated economy and sluggish global trade is one of the reasons, Gao told to the press, adding that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently cut global growth forecasts twice to a record low in six years.

Given the divergence among macro economic policies launched by major economies and intensive fluctuations in the international economy, trade, exchange rates and commodities, there are increasing risks and uncertainties, he added.

“Against such backdrop, a qualitative goal is more realistic than a specific number. In addition, it is really hard to predict a number amid such faltering global growth prospects,” the minister said, adding that this is the fourth time for China to do so in last 20 years.

Gao also addressed China’s weak trade data from the first two months of this year, saying that the imports and exports of some 30 major economies all witnessed a double-digit downturn in the same period. 

Besides the big picture, the week-long Chinese Spring Festival also reduced trade activities, the minister told the reporters.

He also vowed that China will never let up its efforts in trade and has confidence to achieve stable growth.

Deputy Wang Tingge, also head of a Zhejiang-based manufacturer and exporter, said Chinese exporters must upgrade their products and technologies, as well as shift their business models, to better cope with emerging challenges.