China should maintain a stable exchange rate, especially during the financial crisis, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said in Beijing on Thursday.

At an event marking 30 years of market policies in China, Chen said: "We need to maintain steady growth in trade, but the exchange rate shouldn't be the main factor."

Besides aiding exporters, China needs to do more to boost imports to balance trade growth, the minister said. Imports plunged 17.9 percent last month, Bloomberg News said, sending the trade surplus to a record US$40.1 billion.

China's trade surplus may rise to a record of more than US$280 billion this year, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday.

Chen also said China will use the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement to help Hong Kong weather the financial crisis.

(Shanghai Daily December 19, 2008)