Xinhua -- Vice Premier Wang Yang said Monday that the country should make new headway in the campaign against intellectual property right (IPR) infringement and counterfeit products.

IPR protection can support the country's supply-side structural reform and help create a more competitive environment to attract investors, Wang said at a meeting.

In 2016, Chinese authorities cracked more than 170,000 cases concerning IPR infringement and counterfeit products and arrested nearly 20,000 suspects.

Wang said the campaign's success is helping to create a fertile environment for innovation and entrepreneurship.

In the future, the country should reinforce cooperation among different regions, government departments and countries with a focus on major products, major areas and important links, Wang said.

China should find new ways to track products online, according to the vice premier.

The country will continue to address IPR infringement and fake products exported to countries along the Belt and Road to maintain a good image of made-in-China products, Wang said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was put forward by China in 2013.