China's foreign trade maintains steady growth despite facing tariff barriers: spokesperson

BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade has maintained steady growth despite facing high tariff barriers, demonstrating that China is fully equipped, capable and confident in withstanding various risks and challenges, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular news briefing to comment on the impact of external factors such as tariffs on the Chinese economy after a recent U.N. report said global economic growth is expected to slow to 2.4 percent in 2025 due to heightened trade tensions along with policy uncertainty.

International media have described China's economic performance as "exceeding expectations" and "resilient," she said, citing trade figures in the first four months this year.

In the first four months, the total value of imports and exports of goods increased by 2.4 percent year on year while exports rose by 7.5 percent, demonstrating strong international competitiveness, she said.

Meanwhile, China continues to expand opening up, providing greater space and more stable expectations for foreign businesses, she added.

"All these demonstrate that China is fully equipped, capable and confident in withstanding various risks and challenges," Mao said. ■