China's Commerce Ministry on Friday said it does not agree with the U.S. decision to include some Chinese firms on the so-called "notorious market" list. The ministry said the list is not based on conclusive evidence or sufficient proof.

China firmly opposes such irresponsible U.S. behavior, the ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office put Alibaba's AliExpress and Tencent's WeChat on its annual "notorious markets" list on Thursday, saying that they have "reportedly" facilitated selling counterfeit goods. 

The USTR noted that the list serves to raise public and governmental attention on the issue but doesn't reflect findings of legal violations of intellectual property rights (IPR). The list involves 42 online markets and 35 physical markets. 

AliExpress declined to comment. Tencent said that it strongly disagreed with the inclusion on the list and noted that the company actively deals with violations across its platforms. 

China has always attached great importance to IPR protection, and has made marked achievements in recent years, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Friday. 

He called on the U.S. to objectively and fairly comment on the effort Chinese enterprises have made in IPR protection and their outcomes.

China has pledged to achieve stricter IPR protection, a high level of public satisfaction, and a greater IPR market value by 2025.  

More than 110,000 patent applications were filed in China by foreign entities in 2021, an increase of 23 percent from a year ago, which demonstrated companies' firm confidence in China's business environment and IPR protection, Wang said.

(Cover via CFP)