BEIJING - In a concerted effort to crack down on copyright infringement and counterfeiting, Chinese authorities have suspended nine online shops, said the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Wednesday.

A joint investigation team, organized by the MOC and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, went to Guangdong and Shandong provinces to investigate the cases, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

The statement said the suspended shops, registered on large online sales websites such as Taobao.com and Eachnet.com, sold a wide range of fake products, including garments, mobile phones and watches, at very low prices.

The police seized more than 12,800 items of copied commodities, including Armani, Burberry, Timberland, Levi's, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Nokia.

Relevant departments will further clamp down on trademark violations and strengthen supervision over online shopping in order to create a sound online shopping environment, said the statement.