Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang also said:

Beijing is closely watching developments surrounding the possible suspension of plans for a Chinese-funded port city in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and has urged the government there for fairness when it comes to Chinese construction companies investing in the country.

The Ministry of Commerce is working with other government branches to draw up guidelines for the development of e-commerce in the rural areas. Building information sharing platforms for agricultural production and the sale of agricultural products will be the priorities.

China's level of foreign trade is actually doing better than official data suggested in the first two months of this year, which were strongly influenced by the timing of Spring Festival in February. The rate should be shown to have improved significantly, when the first-quarter trade data are released in April.