BEIJING - China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) said it has received an award from the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG) for its achievements, openness, and transparency in protecting intellectual property rights (IPR).

An official with the administration said Sunday that the GAC was nominated for the award by the China Association of Enterprises.

The award has been presented annually since 1999 by the GACG to official organizations, associations and the media for exceptional work in fighting the sale and distribution of counterfeit products.

The official said that between last October and the end of May this year, customs authorities in China confiscated 9,227 batches of goods and more than 5,800 articles of merchandise that violated IPR laws and regulations.

China's customs administration has also reached out to foreign customs organizations in the US, Europe, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Brazil in order to learn from these organizations and exchange ideas concerning the enforcement of IPR laws.