Protectionism worries Chinese envoy

Chinese exporters have been facing more trade barriers and investigations worldwide. Are increasing trade frictions a key source of the pressure?

Trade frictions targeting China have been, and will be, a situation that China has to face and deal with in the long term. And we've all noticed that global trade protectionism against China is getting worse: the value of the cases is increasing, and more cases are targeting China's high-end industries and high-tech sector. This makes the job more difficult. But this pain is part of China's growth. It's unavoidable and we must face it.

Many experts believe that China will have to face escalating trade frictions globally this year. Do you think so?

China's exports have been severely hit since the start of the global financial crisis. And as China's major trade partners, such as the United States, the European Union and Japan are facing economic problems, their trade protectionist measures against China will rise. We have to be clear about this. And we also have to be on high alert, because this will probably be a trend that will be seen in the coming years. We have to be fully prepared for that.

What would you like to do to help China and its exporters fend off the risks?

First, I think a major task would be to unswervingly push forward global free trade and the Doha round of trade talks. This is good for not only China, but also for the global multilateral trade system.

Second, I will try to let more people in the world know and recognize that China is open, transparent and free in its trade policy, so more people will come to support and accept China.

Do you believe that the world is becoming more rational and objective toward China and its trade policy?

Letting more people truly understand China will be a long-term process. Some developed economies are not comfortable about China's rapid rise in economic terms and they need time to accept China.

And amid such a severe economic situation, China should strive to stabilize exports and growth through further opening up, and the nation should also advance its steps to invest abroad.