Vice Commerce Minister Zhong Shan has said that exports will return to growth in 2010, despite a continuing slump in international demand. The Vice Minister said China's exports were hard-hit in 2009 by the global financial crisis and trade protectionism.

According to Zhong Shan, Chinese exporters have been involved in over 100 trade cases this year, with approximately 12 billion US dollars at stake. The country's exports fell 18.8 percent in the first 11 months of 2009, relative to the previous year.

However, he said China maintained a global market share of around 9 percent, and is expected to surpass Germany soon to become the world's largest exporter. The Vice Minister said that global economic recovery will not be straightforward, and that China's export sector will continue to face trade friction in the future.