China must be prudent about the outlook for exports as the risk of a double-dip slowdown in world economic growth exists, a senior official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Thursday.

"Although the global economy and trade have started to recover, the process will be a long and tough one given the global recovery is still very fragile," said chief engineer of the ministry Zhu Hongren at a press conference.

Trade protectionism and Europe's debt crisis may, along with other uncertainties, slow global economic growth, he warned.

Pressure to appreciate the RMB from some developed countries may also have a negative effect on Chinese exporters, Zhu added.

China's exports in the first three months of the year jumped 28.7 percent year on year to 316.2 billion U.S. dollars, according to figures released by the General Administration of Customs. However, it was only a 3.4 percent increase compared with the same period in 2008.