BEIJING - China's General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday that the customs authority confiscated 17,000 batches of goods last year, including more than 95 million articles of merchandise that violated IPR laws and regulations.

An official with the administration said that 19 percent of the confiscated articles violated the independent intellectual properties of Chinese enterprises.

In order to strengthen the enforcement of IPR laws, Chinese customs administration has signed memorandums with customs authorities in the United States, the European Union, Russia, Japan and the Republic of Korea, according to the official.

The official said that it is an effective way to help Chinese corporations protect their intellectual property rights by forging an international partnership network.

The official said the administration reviewed and approved 3,532 IPR filings in 2011, 47.6 percent of which were filed from domestic companies.