It is definitely unfair and unacceptable for the Office of the United States Trade Representative to describe China as "the number one source of counterfeit products in the world" in its 2021 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, released on Thursday.

The report fails to substantiate the claim as it relies on hearsay allegations such as "right holders report", "law enforcement authorities reportedly refrain from taking strong enforcement measures" or "Anfu Market allegedly hosts at least one hundred street-level shops".

It is not credible or responsible for the review to claim that China is "the number one source of counterfeiting and piracy in the world" based on such canards.

It is true that counterfeiting and piracy were rife in China some time ago. But the authorities realized that such practices were doing a disservice to the country's continuing opening-up and reform and were not conducive to the development of a healthy and strong economy, and they have acted accordingly to strengthen intellectual property rights protection and law enforcement efforts targeting rights violations. The painstaking efforts of the Chinese government to crack down on the manufacturing of counterfeit goods of all kinds and the piracy of intellectual property have been widely recognized.

That China's ranking in the global innovation index has been rising continuously also speaks volumes about the progress it has made in the protection of intellectual property and its bid to stamp out the manufacturing and selling of counterfeit products.

China welcomes suggestions on how to improve its fight against counterfeiting and the piracy of intellectual property. But that should never be just finger-pointing or be meant to stigmatize the country.

How the USTR defines the nature of counterfeiting and piracy in the country is anything but well-intended criticism. It is a calculated effort to smear the reputation of China's e-commerce platforms and even the country's market.

What is notable about the review is that it contains no mention of the counterfeiting and piracy that occurs in the United States. Does the USTR think that everyone is so gullible that they will believe that the US is completely free from counterfeiting and piracy?

It is obvious that the US is again employing a double standard, believing it has the moral high ground to point an accusing finger at the rest of the world.

The fight against counterfeiting and piracy needs the joint efforts of all countries. China hopes that the US will cooperate with it to crack down on these harmful practices. But such joint efforts should be based on equality and reciprocity. The US should never believe that it can condescendingly dictate to China what it should do.