Demand for luxury sees counterfeit imports rise

China has started to see a growing number of counterfeit brands imported in recent years, said a senior official at the General Administration of Customs.

Rising labor costs in the domestic market and increasing demand for brand luxuries partially explain the new phenomenon, Li Qunying, chief of the IP Division of the Department of Laws and Regulations, said at an international intellectual property environment forum in Beijing last Friday.

He cited last year's seizure of counterfeits carrying the UK luxury brand Burberry as an example. Customs officials found that the four shipments imported from Turkey were intended for sale in discount stores, rather than online shops conventionally stereotyped as a destination more vulnerable to fakes.