Vice-Premier Wang Yang urged continued efforts to combat infringement and counterfeiting at a national meeting on counterfeit control in Beijing on July 25.

Wang stressed that counterfeit control is a matter concerning the vital interests of the masses, the construction of an innovation-oriented nation and China’s global image.

He urged related departments to continue to push forward the fight against infringement and counterfeiting by sticking to the new development concept and in accordance with the rule of law.

Wang noted that about 64,000 cases involving fake medicines, agricultural materials, construction materials, automobile parts, toys and other commodities were investigated in the first half of the year, and more than 10,000 people were charged with counterfeiting, with nearly 8,000 resulting verdicts.

These actions have deterred potential criminals and improved the business environment, Wang said.

The vice-premier warned that, currently, China still sees a high incidence of infringement and counterfeiting cases, and offenders are becoming more tech-savvy and cautious.

Law enforcement and regulatory authorities should improve their competence, and strengthen cross-sector and cross-region law enforcement coordination to prevent the production, circulation and sales of counterfeit goods at the source, said Wang.

The government plans to enhance Internet governance, tighten control over online trading platforms and major online retail sites, and improve the tip-off system to further crack down on infringement and counterfeiting.

The special operation, code-named “Breeze”, to prevent the export of counterfeit products will be further implemented, in which specialized markets, cross-border trade fairs and e-commerce platforms will be under tight scrutiny, Wang said.

He also stressed the copyright protection of computer software, and asked related departments to conduct regular spot checks on the software used by government departments, and public and private enterprises.