China seeks sustainable development for foreign trade

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China, the world's largest exporter and second largest economy, is seeking a sustainable development mode for its foreign trade as emerging problems, such as rising production costs and environmental damage, lead to the choice.

Issues on The White Paper China's Foreign Trade is introduced by Mr. Chong Quan, Deputy China International Trade Representative, Ministry of Commerce at the press conference Wednesday.[Photo/China.org.cn]

A white paper on the country's foreign trade released Wednesday by the Information Office of the State Council said that China will turn the development mode of foreign trade from extensive to intensive because low-cost advantage of export-oriented industries has been "greatly" weakened, as labor costs rise and prices of resources, energy and other production factors spiral upward.

In its efforts to reduce environmental damage, the country will also promote energy conservation and emission reduction in foreign trade development. The paper said that the Chinese government has lowered and even abolished export tax rebates for some energy-intensive, heavily-polluting and resource-based products since 2004.

As a result, in recent years such products have seen their proportion in exports decreasing, while the export of new-energy, energy-conserving and environmental-friendly products has grown by a big margin, the paper said.

Intellectual property protection and product quality are among two other pressing issues the government will seek to address in its pursuit of sustainable growth.

The paper said that IPR protection is an essential move if China seeks to transform its economic growth mode and build an innovative country.

It also noted that the quality of China's export products has been constantly improving. In 2009 and 2010, 11.032 million batches and 13.054 million batches, respectively, of China' s export products were examined by inspection and quarantine authorities, with only 0.15 percent and 0.14 percent found substandard, according to the paper.

The paper said China will make new adjustments to turn foreign trade from scale expansion to quality and profit improvement, and from reliance on low-cost advantage to enhancement of its comprehensive competitiveness.