China trade to grow steadily: MoC

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua): China's foreign trade will grow "steadily" this year in spite of increasing signs of an economic slowdown, the country's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Monday.

Given that there are no "big changes" in the international trade environment, China's foreign trade for the year is expected to grow "relatively steadily", the ministry said in a report.

Official data showed that China's combined exports and imports declined 3.7 per cent year on year in the first quarter, with exports decreasing 6.1 per cent and imports down 1.2 per cent.

In the report, the MOC attributed the disappointing data mainly to the high comparison base of the same period last year.