As Anta has shown, China has been encouraging self-innovation and paying attention to intellectual property rights protection, experts said. Significant measures have produced recognized results, according to Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen.

"China has never stopped promoting IPR protection," Wang said, adding that foreign enterprises have spoken highly of the measures.

Since 2001, intellectual property royalties paid by China to foreign rights holders have registered annual growth of 17 percent, reaching $28.6 billion in 2017, according to China and the World Trade Organization, a white paper released on June 29 by the State Council Information Office.

Last year, China's invention patent applications ranked first in the world for the seventh consecutive year, Chen said.

Wang called it another example of China's sound IPR protection. "China will continue to work hard in strengthening IPR protection in the interest of not only Chinese but also foreign enterprises," he said.