Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said Friday that he hoped Russia will continue to properly handle problems relating to the rights of Chinese business people after the closing of a Moscow market.

During talks with Russian Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina in Beijing, Chen called for more legal assistance and information services for Chinese merchants working in Russia.

The Chinese government would take active measures to help adjust business operations in Russia, Chen said.

Russian police abruptly shut down Cherkizovsky Market in northeast Moscow on June 29 after disclosures of illegal and irregular operations by the Russian Federal Supervision Service for Consumer Rights Protection and People Welfare.

The market accommodated thousands of Chinese vendors.

About 150 Chinese merchants and a large quantity of their goods were seized in a crackdown on smuggling at the market, Moscow's biggest wholesale market.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2009)