HANGZHOU -- Chinese Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua has stressed efforts to keep foreign trade and foreign investment stable.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to East China's Zhejiang province from Monday to Tuesday.

Hu visited foreign trade firms in the cities of Hangzhou and Yiwu to learn about challenges facing enterprises as well as local policy implementation.

Targeted measures should be made to better serve local firms and help them tide over the difficult period, Hu said, adding that authorities should explore new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce to boost trade.