Exports expand in Aug amid signs of recovery

"Many Chinese exports have low technology and added value, while most enterprises lack core technology and proprietary brands."

But Ma said China will quicken the pace of restructuring its economic growth model by focusing on services and emerging industries such as energy saving and environmental protection, new energy and new materials.

"We will also improve the quality of foreign direct investment and further facilitate trade and investment. We will speed up establishing free trade zones such as that in Shanghai, and encourage foreign investment to flow into the central and western regions," Ma said.

The government will support all kinds of enterprises to go global, he said, and will urge Chinese financial institutions to set up overseas service networks to improve their international operations.

"We should stand against protectionism in all forms," Ma said.

Mukhisa Kituyi, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said China should increase its overseas investment in high-end manufacturing and knowledge services while encouraging its enterprises to establish overseas manufacturing bases and production networks to better use global resources.

"This will not only enhance local employment, but also reduce pressure on China's environment and resources and thus sustain growth," he said.

Rintaro Tamaki, deputy secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said China's economic growth will accelerate in the second half of this year, but the pace will still be slower than in past years.

Wang Jun, an expert at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said China's economic growth in the second half will outstrip that of the first half.

He said the upward foreign trade trend in August, driven by the government's facilitating measures and improvement in overseas demand, matches the growth momentum.

China's trade with major partners expanded in August, except for a continued decline with Japan. Trade with the European Union, China's largest trading partner, rose by 3.2 percent, while that with the United States, China's second-largest trading partner, rose by 9.2 percent.

Xinhua contributed to this story.