In this April 24, 2012 file photo, a government worker levels piles of pirated books, CD and DVD disks before destroying them in a campaign to crack down piracy in Taiyuan, north China’s Shanxi province. AP
BEIJING — Chinese police seized almost 60,000 suspects involved in intellectual property infringement cases with a total estimated value of 173 billion yuan ($28 billion) in 2013, state media reported Tuesday.
More than 90 million tons of counterfeit and substandard goods were confiscated last year, and 1,260 criminal networks smashed, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Ministry of Public Security official Gao Feng.
Gao also said that during a campaign against the sale of fake drugs online, police seized a record 300 million pills worth 2.2 billion yuan ($360 million).
China’s rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods is a major irritant in its relations with trading partners.
Gao said that Chinese police had cooperated with Interpol, the World Customs Organization and law enforcement authorities from countries including the United States, Britain and France.
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