BEIJING - China must take steps to stabilise foreign trade and support firms to survive the difficult times, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday, citing comments made by Vice Premier Hu Chunhua.

China would also strive to maintain the stability of supply chains, and actively take part in the restructuring of the global supply chains, Hu said, according to Xinhua.

(Reporting by Stella Qiu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Alex Richardson) ((yifan.qiu@thomsonreuters.com; 86-10-66271289;))