CHINA will substantially increase the cost for breaking the law in the crackdown on intellectual property right infringements and counterfeits, an official with the national market regulator said yesterday.

“We will make the manufacturers and sellers of fake products pay the price until they are bankrupt,” Zhang Mao, head of the State Administration for Market Regulation, told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session in Beijing.

They will also be exposed to the public and “have no place to hide under the sunshine,” Zhang said.

At the same time, the country will push for the self-discipline of companies and nurture a social credit system, he said.

Through the efforts, the administration aims to gradually reduce the number of fake products and ease the concerns of the people, Zhang added.

The government will promote stricter regulation and supervision over online commerce, amid public concerns about false advertising, fake imported goods and monopolistic practices, he said.

E-commerce platforms also have to take key responsibilities for promoting credibility and integrity.

Zhang stressed that the administration will set the same standard for online and offline shopping, and increase the penalties for selling fake goods for a better development of e-commerce.

Also yesterday, Jiao Hong, head of the National Medical Products Administration, said China will improve its long-term regulatory mechanism for vaccines and implement the toughest possible oversight on related products.

She said domestically made vaccines were safe overall, affirming comments made by the head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention on March 4, who urged the public not to lose trust in the country’s vaccine sector.

Jiao said a new draft law on vaccine management, to tighten the supervision and management of production, research, and distribution of these products, had been reviewed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and released to solicit public opinion.

Vaccine-producing companies should build a sound quality management system and product safety tracing and risk reporting mechanisms. Provincial drug regulators should enhance on-site checks on vaccine producers while the national administration will strengthen random checks, she said.

China will develop and train national and provincial professional inspectors to enhance supervision capabilities, she added.(SD-Xinhua)

(More “Two Sessions” reports on Page 4)