Many exporters hindered by a range of technical barriers

Technical barriers to trade affected 38 percent of China's export enterprises and accounted for a direct loss of $66.2 billion during the foreign trade process in 2013, according to a survey conducted by the country's quality watchdog.

The survey of 3,148 exporting enterprises by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine found that the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada and Latin America are the top countries and regions imposing such barriers on products imported from China.

Lu Chunming, spokesman for the quality watchdog, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the technical barriers were imposed mostly in the electromechanical, textile, mineral and agricultural industries.

Failure to meet requirements including certification, technical standards, labeling and identification, as well as limits on toxicological substances and packaging, are the most common barriers for exported industrial products, he said.