China's 2022 foreign trade to run in reasonable range: spokesperson

Aerial photo taken on July 13, 2021 shows a container terminal in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Long Wei/Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade is expected to keep running in a reasonable range in 2022, despite uncertainties and pressure, Guo Weimin, spokesperson for the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said Thursday.

"The foreign trade sector in China has a solid industrial foundation and strong resilience," Guo said when answering questions at a press conference.

Official data shows that China's total trade in goods moved up another notch in 2021, exceeding 6 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time, despite the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to weigh on global trade.

In the face of complex situation at home and abroad, members of CPPCC National Committee put forward many suggestions including accelerating the development of new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses, promoting integration of domestic and foreign trade, as well as enhancing trade digitalization, Guo said.

China's foreign trade has seen a great leap forward over the years, Guo said.

In terms of the structure of foreign trade, China now exports not only primary products, but also a large number of high-tech and high value-added products such as new energy vehicles, according to Guo.

Meanwhile, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are playing an increasingly important role in shoring up the country's foreign trade, along with centrally-administered state-owned enterprises and foreign-funded companies, Guo said.