WeChat and e-commerce site AliExpress were
among those put on the list by the US Trade Representative (USTR) on Thursday spotlighting
markets Washington says "engage in, facilitate, turn a blind eye to, or
benefit from substantial piracy or counterfeiting".
The 2021 Notorious Markets List flagged 42
online markets and 35 physical markets globally, including other web platforms
such as China's Baidu Wangpan.
"We strongly disagree with the
decision made by the USTR," Tencent said in response, adding that the company
was committed to working to resolve the listing.
WeChat, a ubiquitous platform in China, had
more than 1.2 billion active users around the world in 2021 and Tencent added
that it takes a "comprehensive approach" to fighting counterfeiting
and infringement on its platforms.
The Chinese commerce ministry said the US
decision was based on "neither conclusive evidence nor sufficient proof,
and is irresponsible and not objective."
In a statement it said China did not
"recognise the conclusions of the report" and that the country had
made "continuous improvements" in its intellectual property
protection system in recent years.
E-commerce titan Alibaba, which owns
AliExpress, did not reply to AFP requests for comment.
The USTR said WeChat is "viewed as one
of the largest platforms for counterfeit goods in China", citing
"weaknesses" in its seller vetting and mild punishments against
offenders.
It added that there has been a
"significant increase" in fake goods sold on AliExpress.
China "continues to be the number one
source of counterfeit products in the world", the USTR said.