BEIJING - China will continue to seek balance instead of surplus in trade and it will oppose any form of protectionism along with Germany, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Friday.
These efforts should be praised and not criticized, particularly when compared with any major country that claims to double its exports to alleviate unemployment pressure, Wen said at a joint news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Wen made the remarks amid growing concerns that China's export growth would gradually drop despite the strong momentum in June.
China's exports for June was at their highest level since July 2008 and total trade surplus in the first half reached $55.3 billion, but economists said such strong momentum cannot be sustained in the next half.
