The Ministry of Commerce has urged authorities to advance key works in seven aspects to stabilize foreign trade development under the principle of "expanding new growth, preventing reduction and strengthening support", according to a statement posted on the ministry's website on Thursday.

Those key works include ensuring early implementation and effects of policies targeting stabilizing foreign trade, supporting foreign trade enterprises to ensure their production and fulfillment of contracts, and smoothing channels for foreign trade enterprises to secure new orders.

Those key works also include cultivating new business forms, new business models and new growth points in foreign trade sector, proactively guiding enterprises to seize opportunities brought about by free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, which took effect on Jan 1, stabilizing industrial and supply chains of foreign trade, and proactively expanding imports.

The requests were made at a national foreign trade work teleconference the ministry held in Beijing on Wednesday to thoroughly implement the spirit of the executive meetings of the State Council, to refine the implementation of the recent national video teleconference on stabilizing foreign trade and foreign investment and expanding consumption, and to promote the stable development of foreign trade, according to the online statement.

The conference pointed out that since the beginning of this year, the ministry has been closely cooperating with relevant authorities to fully implement the requirements of "containing the epidemic, stabilizing the economy and keeping development secure", and has lead relevant entities in foreign trade sector to face and overcome difficulties. During the January-August period, China's imports and exports have grown steadily to show strong resilience.

The meeting emphasized China's foreign trade faces severe complexities to ensure stable growth with new changes in the current international environment, and the commerce system must take responsibilities and work hard to promote the stable and healthy development of foreign trade and make more contributions to stabilizing the Chinese economy.

China International Trade Representative and Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen attended the conference and delivered a speech.