Import boost to target US, EU

Measures will be taken to gradually boost the country's imports and improve the trade imbalance, an official at the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Monday.

The country's export growth has been recovering, while the imports have slowed in recent months, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. The sub-index measuring imports of the purchasing managers' index also continued to drop in August.

The government's vow to boost imports is part of the goal to shift from an export-driven economic model to one based more on domestic consumer spending, Chong Quan, a deputy international trade representative of the MOFCOM, said Monday at a forum in Beijing.

Yao Jian, spokesperson of MOFCOM, said in August that the country will further increase imports to better balance trade.

The country is in the process of industrialization and urbanization, which will spur the growth of a vast domestic demand market in the long-term, while boosting other country's exports to China, Chong said.

A series of measures will be taken to increase imports, according to Chong. Trade frictions and disputes will be properly dealt with and the country will encourage imports from major countries that have trade deficits with China, he said.