BEIJING — Chinese customs seized 61,900 batches of goods infringing intellectual property rights (IPR) in 2020, up 20 percent year-on-year, according to the country's top customs authority.

Customs nationwide approved 15,163 applications for IPR protection, up 16 percent from one year earlier, the General Administration of Customs said.

The country launched a crackdown on IPR infringement in multiple sectors last year, such as transshipment and cross-border e-commerce, it said.

Amid efforts to contain COVID-19, Chinese customs tightened IPR protection for imported and exported anti-epidemic medical supplies, imposing tougher punishments in related infringement cases.