BEIJING, May 21 -- China's foreign trade has maintained steady growth despite facing high tariff barriers, demonstrating that China is fully equipped, capable and confident in withstanding various risks and challenges, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

Mao made the remarks at a regular news briefing to comment on the impact of external factors such as tariffs on the Chinese economy after a recent U.N. report said global economic growth is expected to slow to 2.4 percent in 2025 due to heightened trade tensions along with policy uncertainty.

International media have described China's economic performance as "exceeding expectations" and "resilient," she said, citing trade figures in the first four months th...