The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says it remains confident foreign trade will pick up in the second half of the year.

New stats show overall foreign trade through the first 4-months of this year has declined 7.6-percent.

Despite this, the Commerce Ministry says it believes changes in the overall export structure in China will create a rebound in foreign trade through the 2nd half of the year.

Right now, imports are down some 17-percent compared to last year.

Commerce officials say the decline in imports is mainly due to the falling prices of bulk commodities.

Exports are up 1.5-percent through the first 4-months.