China revises anti-counterfeiting plan to address new threats

China is revising its anti-counterfeiting strategy in response to rising online sales of fake medicines and a shift in the geographic focus of criminals.

The deputy director of the Chinese anti-counterfeiting team, Chai Haitao, outlined the new plans to China Daily. Increased emphasis on stopping online sales, particularly of counterfeit medicines, is planned as China adapts to the same trends that have made fakes more readily available in Western markets.

"We will launch a series of special campaigns and hope to collaborate with e-commerce platforms to reduce the criminal activities," Haitao said. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and its subsidiary Taobao have both taken steps to cut the availability of counterfeits on their platforms over the past year.

The government is also making changes to other aspects of its anti-counterfeiting strategy. Counterfeiters have shifted their activities away from the developed cities in the east of the country, and become more active in the central and western regions. Law enforcement is following them west.