On July 16, 2025, China’s Ministry of Public Security (PSB) announced the release of the “Opinions on Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (关于依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的意见) although no copy appears to be publicly available. Simultaneously, the PSB also released “Five Typical Cases of Public Security Organs Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (公安机关依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的5起典型案例) including an economic espionage case involving an unnamed foreign country.

While the Opinions themselves are unavailable, the Announcement explains, in part:

The Opinion clearly states that we must make precise efforts to protect scientific and technological innovation, carry out in-depth special work on preventing and combating trade secret crimes, severely crack down on trade secret infringement crimes in accordance with the law, and help develop new quality productivity in accordance with local conditions. We must make precise efforts to promote industrial development, severely crack down on infringement and counterfeiting crimes in the manufacturing, productive services, and consumer goods fields in accordance with the law, and promote the construction of a modern industrial system. We must make precise efforts to promote cultural prosperity, severely crack down on all kinds of infringement and piracy crimes in accordance with the law, and promote the innovative development of the cultural industry. We must make precise efforts to protect people’s livelihood security, severely crack down on multiple crimes in the food and drug fields, counterfeit and shoddy crimes that endanger production and life safety in the fields of fire-fighting equipment, building materials, electrical equipment, etc., and counterfeit and shoddy crimes involving seeds, fertilizers, etc., as well as the crime of manufacturing and selling fake cigarettes, and resolutely safeguard the lives, health and safety of the people.

… We must give play to the role of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, deepen international law enforcement cooperation, promote the improvement of the legal system of foreign-related intellectual property rights, and strengthen the protection of foreign-related intellectual property rights.

The PSB also provide brief explanations of the 5 Typical Cases although parties and countries were not named.

1. Crack down on crimes of infringement of software copyright. In February 2025 , the public security organs of Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, based on clues found during work, cracked a case of infringement of software copyright, arrested 16 suspects , destroyed 5 sales dens , and seized more than 2,000 encryption locks of pirated engineering software , effectively protecting and stimulating the innovation and creativity of enterprises.

2. Crack down on crimes of infringing on trade secrets. In June 2023 , the public security organs of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, based on clues discovered during work, uncovered a case of illegal provision of trade secrets to foreign countries, arrested 12 suspects involved in the case , and promptly intercepted 26 technical secrets of China’s new energy enterprises , effectively safeguarding the technological security of the enterprises.

3. Crack down on intellectual property infringement crimes in the field of household appliance consumption. In September 2024 , the public security organs of Suzhou City, Anhui Province, based on clues from public reports, cracked a case of manufacturing and selling counterfeit brand household appliances, arrested 13 suspects, destroyed 3 criminal gangs , destroyed 8 dens, closed 26 suspected counterfeit online stores, and seized more than 2,000 counterfeit brand refrigerators, effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and enterprises.

4. Crack down on the crime of manufacturing and selling counterfeit brand toys. In March 2025 , the Chaoyang District Public Security Bureau of Beijing uncovered a case of illegal manufacturing and selling of counterfeit brand toys through online live broadcasts and other means based on clues found during work. 48 suspects were arrested, 6 criminal gangs were destroyed, and more than 500,000 counterfeit brand toys were seized on the spot, effectively maintaining the healthy development of the children’s toy industry.

5. Crack down on the crime of manufacturing and selling counterfeit food. In August 2024, the public security organs of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, based on active research and analysis, uncovered clues and cracked a case of manufacturing and selling counterfeit brand sausages, arrested 11 suspects, destroyed 5 counterfeiting dens, closed 4 online stores selling counterfeit goods, and seized 2,200 kilograms of sausages on the spot, effectively ensuring the food safety of the people and the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

The full text of the Announcement, the list of Five Typical Cases, and Five Typical Examples of Serving High-Quality Development are available here (Chinese only).