BEIJING, Feb. 16 -- The outlook for China's foreign trade is not favorable amid sluggish global growth, especially among major trade partners such as the EU, the U.S. and Japan, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang said at a press conference Thursday.

Shen said external demand has waned as world economic growth turned bleak, weighing on China's exports expansion.

Meanwhile, the country faces obstacles in expanding imports because of slowing domestic growth and export restrictions in the EU and U.S., he said.