In a concerted effort to crack down on copyright infringement and counterfeiting, Chinese authorities have suspended nine online shops, said the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Wednesday.

A joint investigation team, organized by the MOC and the State Administration for Industry & Commerce, went to Guangdong and Shandong provinces to investigate the cases, according to a statement on the ministry`s website.

The statement said the suspended shops, registered on large online sales websites such as Taobao.com and Eachnet.com, sold a wide range of fake products, including garments, mobile phones and watches, at very low prices.

The police seized more than 12,800 items of copied commodities, including Armani, Burberry, Timberland, Levi`s, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Nokia.

Relevant departments will further clamp down on trademark violations and strengthen supervision over online shopping in order to create a sound online shopping environment, said the statement.