Country a major target of trade protectionism: Official

China can expect to be a major target of rising trade protectionism - particularly from the United States and India - as the world struggles to recover from the global financial crisis, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said yesterday.

The crisis has pushed trade protectionist cases to a historical high.

"The US is abusing trade protectionist tools to help its own industries tide over the economic slowdown. The loss for Chinese businesses is huge," said Zhou Xiaoyan, deputy director of the China Bureau of Fair Trade for Imports & Exports.