BEIJING -- China remained a major victim of trade protectionism during the past year, witnessing 64 trade disputes in this period, covering some $7 billion in value, China's Vice Commerce Minister, Zhong Shan, said Wednesday in Beijing.

The country faced trade disputes with both developed countries and developing ones, which came from not only traditional sectors but also high-tech industries, he told a national conference on trade promotion.

Related readings:  'Golden channel' to boost trade links  Clean-tech trade barriers bad for US  Trade surplus set to decline below $100 billion in 2011  China, US need co-op to solve trade imbalance: Minister

For the short- and mid-term, China would work to maintain a stable growth in foreign trade and keep the growth rate higher than both the global level and China's economic growth, he said.

China would also strive to achieve a more balanced trade structure by boosting imports and outbound investment, to strengthen the quality and efficiency of foreign trade, he added.

China's foreign trade last year jumped 34.7 percent year-on-year to more than $2.97 trillion, while its trade surplus fell 6.4 percent to $183.1 billion.