China to continue export thrust in 2010

China will not relax its efforts to sell Chinese products overseas in 2010 and would continue to seek a bigger share in the global market, according to China's vice trade minister, Zhong Shan.

The minister said though China had replaced Germany as the biggest exporting nation in 2009, it is not yet a "powerful trading nation."

Though he declined to provide detailed figures, Zhong said Chinese exports in 2010 would undoubtedly continue to grow.

Reeling under the global financial turmoil, China's exports fell 18.8 per cent in the first 11 months from a year earlier.

Speaking at a forum at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, Zhong said though market share of Chinese products declined in 2009, sales of products from other countries fell even more sharply.

China has, meanwhile, come in for much criticism from several countries for following an unofficial policy of repegging the yuan to the dollar since the summer of 2008 for artificially maintaining the competitiveness of its products. Zhong said China would feel the pressure on its yuan policy but would continue to maintain 'basic stability'.