China's Ministry of Commerce says the country has one of the most open economies in the world. In response to questions about trade protectionism, the Ministry says it has issued policies and measures that are in accordance with WTO rules.

Ministry of Commerce data shows that China's average tariff level has already dropped to 9.8 percent, one quarter of the world average. The figure is far lower than in other developing countries. China has opened up more than 100 fields in the service sector.

Ministry spokesman Yao Jian says that although China's economy faces difficulties, the government will adopt a series of economic policies. These include opening markets and encouraging exports, such as abolishing the automatic import permission certification on natural rubber and parts of machinery and electronic products. The government will also improve the efficiency of customs and organize purchasing groups to buy products from overseas, worth a total of 13 billion US dollars.

Yao Jian, spokesman of Ministry of Commerce, says, "we believe the policies issued by the Chinese government, which include policies to revitalize the economy and boost trade, will not only benefit domestic economic development, but also promote the global economic growth."

Yao Jian said China's 4-trillion-yuan stimulus plan provides enormous business opportunities not only for China's enterprises, but for enterprises worldwide.

(CCTV April 16, 2009)