China's customs release pro-trade measures

China's General Administration of Customs unveiled measures on Friday to boost foreign trade. Twenty specific items, including increasing the efficiency of customs clearance, alleviating burdens for domestic enterprises, boosting service trade and cutting red tape, came after China's State Council announced a guideline on May 15 to secure stable growth of foreign trade. "Foreign trade is not only critical to stable economic growth and job creation, but conducive to integration between the Chinese and global economies," said the State Council. China's foreign trade slowed in the past few months. Exports dropped 2.3 percent in the first four months to 680 billion U.S. dollars. Zhang Ji, director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said earlier this week that achieving a 7.5 percent growth, the 2014 target, was "an arduous task."