BEIJING -- Whatever challenge may appear in the external environment, China's manufacturing remains needed by the world, and the Chinese market will always be a magnet for foreign investment, a foreign ministry spokesperson said here Friday.

It was reported that amid the severe international economic environment, China's trade and economic ties with the rest of the world remain robust. In the first five months of this year, China opened 101 international air cargo routes in total, and over 195 weekly round-trip flights were added. From January to April, China's port cargo throughput was 5.755 billion tonnes, up 3.7 percent year-on-year, and port container throughput exceeded 110 million TEUs, up 7.9 percent year-on-year.

In response, Lin Jian told a news briefing that in the first four months of this year, China's trade in goods grew by 2.4 percent year-on-year. Trade growth in April was 4.3 percentage points higher than that in the first quarter.

He said China's economy continues to unleash its vitality, and resilience in trade continues to strengthen. It fully shows that whatever challenge may appear in the external environment, China's manufacturing remains needed by the world, and the Chinese market will always be a magnet for foreign investment.

"Unilateralism and protectionism are unsustainable. Walls and barriers created by some will not stop China from engaging in open cooperation with other countries for shared development," he said.