On March 1, Yao Jian, Spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, made a speech on China becoming the world’s largest trading country in goods in 2013.
According to preliminary statistics from the WTO secretariat, China became the world’s largest trading country in goods in 2013, Yao said. As a developing country, China has become the world’s largest trading country in goods, which is a new milestone in the development of China’s foreign trade and a major achievement of China’s adherence to reform and opening up and participation in economic globalization. Over the past 35 years of reform and opening-up, especially since China joined the WTO, China’s import and export trade has grown by leaps and bounds, giving a strong boost to China’s economic development and making important contributions to the world economy. China is now the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions, importing goods worth nearly 2 trillion USD every year and creating a large number of jobs and investment opportunities for global trading partners.
According to Yao, building China into a leader in trade requires a solid foundation. Although China has become a world trading power, it still has a long way to go to become a leader in trade. As for China’s export products, the following issues still exist, i.e. low added value, few independent brands, imperfect marketing network and low quality of export products. The ability to coordinate the two markets and two resources needs to be further improved. Yao stressed that China was now facing new situations and challenges in opening up, and it is vital that we actively promote the economic restructuring and transformation, cultivate new advantages of participating in economic globalization, strengthen practical cooperation with trading partners, and strive to achieve mutual benefit and common development.