China will lower inspection and quarantine fees on a wide range of imports and exports to help ease the financial burden of companies engaged in foreign trade amid a global economic slowdown, the country's top economic planning agency said Friday.

The lower charges, which take effect on Jan. 1, will reduce costs for companies involved in foreign trade by about 5.2 billion yuan ($827 million) a year, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on its website.

The charges will be cut to 0.08% of total value from 0.12% for quarantines and 0.15% for inspections currently.

The changes in quarantine and inspection charges cover plants, animals, edible oil and other foods and food products as well as resources. Some resources -- such as crude oil, natural gas, LNG, ores, slag and ash -- will be charged based on specific duty levels rather than according to value. LNG would be assessed at 0.08 yuan per ton, for example.

This is Beijing's latest effort to boost trade amid sluggish external demand. China'sState Council said in September it would accelerate tax rebates, simplify the customs clearance process and expand bank lending to small exporters to promote "steady growth" in exports and imports.

China posted weak foreign trade growth in November. Exports rose just 2.9% in November compared with a year earlier, according to official data, much lower than October's 11.6% rise and well below economists' median forecast of a 9.6% expansion. Imports were flat against a median forecast of a 1.9% rise and a 2.4% increase in October.