The government work report released on the 5th Mar mentioned the development of foreign trade in 2017 without any specific indicators. Instead, it replaced with "Imports and Exports are stabilized and improved." This is the second consecutive year since 2016, that the government work report has not proposed specific indicators for the development of import and export trade.

"There are no specific indicators for import and export development means that our country is breaking the 'digital complex' in the development of foreign trade, and paying more attention to the quality of foreign trade development." said Liu Yingkui, director of the International Investment Research Department of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Before that, the growth targets of import and export are often appeared in government work reports. For example, from 2013 to 2015, the growth targets of import and export were set as 12.2%, 7.5%, and 6% respectively in the government work report

In recent years, due to the weak recovery of the global economy and the emergence of anti-globalization trends, our country is facing severe challenges in foreign trade. In 2015, the import and export volume experienced a negative growth of 7%.

"At the most difficult time, our company had not received orders for half a year, and can not paid the employees." said Zhou Hui, NPC deputy, who runs a textile foreign trade enterprise and general manager of Shandong Zaozhuang Fudong Knitting Garment Co., Ltd.

In response to the downward pressure on foreign trade, our country has successively introduced a series of foreign trade promotion policies, the imports and exports have shown a stable and positive trend. In 2016, although the total annual import and export volume still fell by 0.9%, the rate of decline was narrowed by 6.1% and stabilized quarter by quarter. The structure of foreign trade has also been further optimized, the proportion of private enterprises and general trade exports has increased, and the endogenous momentum of foreign trade has increased.

In order to improve the quality of foreign trade development, the government work report proposes to implement and improve import and export policies, promote superior import and export; promote the "single window" of international trade, and realize the integration of national customs clearance; increase the import of advanced technology, equipment and key parts and components. To promote the balanced development of trade and accelerate the upgrading of domestic industries.

"In the future, we will pay more attention to the development of foreign trade, but the development mode must be adjusted, which is to shift quantitative expansion to qualitative improvement." said Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce, “We will improve the stage of trade country, promoting to build strong trade country, make contributions to economic and social development."