BEIJING — The Chinese government has begun a campaign to protect the intellectual property rights (IPR) of foreign companies.

The campaign will focus on malicious trademark registration and imitation of foreign brands, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sept 18, citing a joint action plan by 12 government departments.

From September to December, the campaign will also target infringement of online IPRs, patent rights and plant variety rights, as well as industrial espionage, according to the plan.

China has promised to improve IPR protection for foreign companies with campaigns against violations and stepping up judicial and administrative protection, according to a guideline on ensuring foreign investment growth released last month by the State Council.

“China has attached great importance to IPR protection and seen visible results,” deputy minister of commerce Wang Shouwen told a news conference last month.

China’s IPR spending to overseas owners rose to $24 billion in 2016 from $1.94 billion in 2001, an annualized increase of about 18 percent. In the first half of this year, the amount rose 23 percent year on year to $14.3 billion.