Chinese mainland and Hong Kong currently export approximately 86% of the world’s counterfeit goods. This is according to Europol’s latest 2017 Situation Report on Counterfeiting and Piracy in the European Union. This was prepared in cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property office. The report states that “China has long been recognized as the engine of the global counterfeiting industry” and that counterfeit goods amount to “approximately 12.5 % of China’s total exports and over 1.5 % of its GDP.” Altogether, 49 % of all seizures of fake goods made in the United States in 2015 emanated directly from China. These numbers come from the US Customs and Border Protection Office of Trade, Homeland Security and the US Chamber of Commerce. According to Europol, the development of the Silk Road and the corresponding increasing use of rail and maritime transport between China and the EU support also new threats in the intellectual property rights crime landscape.
China’s official press agency, Xinhua, has called the Europol’s report “an excuse for protectionism” claiming that “[i]nsiders say there is no method of calculating figures on fake products worldwide.”