BEIJING — China will double down on its efforts to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus on trade firms and help the commerce sector gain momentum while countering the spread of the epidemic, according to the country's commerce regulator.

Local governments were instructed to guide trade firms to resume operations with differentiated measures and guard against any infections in clusters, said a circular released late on Feb 23 by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

Enterprises engaged in the circulation of goods were urged to resume work as soon as possible in a bid to ensure the supply of people's daily necessities, beef up consumer confidence and restore market vitality, the circular said.

In its efforts to stabilize global supply chains, the MOC pledged greater policy support for foreign trade and foreign-funded firms, especially key areas and corporate champions crucial for global supply chains.

The commerce authority also encouraged e-commerce enterprises to adopt innovative sales models with the help of information technology to cut the frequency of deliveries and exposure to the disease.