Ministry to crack down on counterfeits

The Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that it will step up efforts to stop the sale of counterfeit goods in China's burgeoning e-commerce market, after the country's largest consumer-to-consumer online market, Taobao, was accused of tolerating the sale of fakes.

At a media briefing, Shen Danyang, the ministry's spokesman, addressed a spat between Taobao and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce involving accusations that the sale of fake goods is "rampant" online.

"It requires the cooperation of the government, enterprises and consumers to tackle the problem," Shen said.