New measures were unveiled on Thursday aimed at ensuring the quality of Chinese productssold overseas.

Such merchandise has been increasingly snapped up by foreign customers but remainsclouded by concerns over quality and intellectual property rights.

The State Council announced the decision, which involves 10 departments, as part of anationwide drive to crack down on violations of intellectual property rights and to targetproducers of counterfeit goods.

A three-year plan will address key products exported to Africa, Arab nations, Latin Americaand countries and regions along the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and 21stCentury Maritime Silk Road－transcontinental initiatives prioritizing unimpeded trade andconnectivity.

Cross-border law enforcement coordination will be improved, including monitoring, evidencecollection and judicial assistance, according to a State Council document.

The document calls for efforts to further help Chinese companies to invest and operateoverseas and to expand product marketing. It also seeks strengthened negotiations andcommunications on IPR protection, a key issue for Western countries concerned aboutcounterfeit goods.

The document adds that China will improve IPR coordination and cooperation with countriesincluding the United States. It will also draw up and carry out a working plan for suchcooperation with the European Union this year.

China became the world's largest exporter of goods in 2009, and it overtook the US tobecome the world's largest trading nation in 2013.

Products produced by Chinese companies, including Lenovo and Huawei, have been boughtby more foreign consumers, especially in developing countries, according to China's NationalImage Global Survey 2014.

But Chinese brands are hindered by concerns over low quality and food safety problems,according to the survey, released last month.

Chai Yu, an expert on Latin American economic studies at the Chinese Academy of SocialSciences, said China is aiming to prevent companies from encountering blind competitionthrough continued lowering of prices and quality in the global market.

For example, the Latin American market is a huge one for Chinese products, and improvedquality would help to build Chinese brands' reputation and the country's image abroad, Chaisaid.

Huang Wei, a researcher at the academy's Institute of World Economics and Politics, said thenew measures will encourage Chinese enterprises to upgrade business and to guaranteeproduct quality.

The urgency of such a task is highlighted by the announcement of the Silk Road initiativesamid lingering concerns over dumping of Chinese products, Huang said.

Despite China's progress in recent years, any negative impressions about its products andIPR records cannot be tackled overnight, and the country needs to prove itself through itsactions, she said.