CHINA aims to strengthen its position as a big trader in the next decade and become a strong trader after 2021, Vice Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said.

"China will keep its trade growth stable," Zhong told a forum organized by the Development Research Center under the State Council, or China's Cabinet, an article in the ministry's website said yesterday.

"China's trade growth must be higher than the global average to secure its world market share, and it must be higher than China's GDP growth to be able to fuel a healthy economy," Zhong said.

The two "musts" require China's trade to expand by double-digits next year, Zhong added.

It is expected that China's overall trade value will reach a record US$2.9 trillion this year, accounting for 10 percent of the global trade. In the first 11 months, China's trade increased 36.3 percent to US$2.67 trillion.

Last year, China eclipsed Germany to become the world's biggest exporter.