Chinese tech giant Tencent announced Friday it strongly disagreed with a US decision to add its WeChat app to a government list of "notorious" markets known for trade in counterfeit goods.

WeChat and e-commerce site AliExpress were among those put on the list by the US Trade Representative (USTR) on Thursday.

Washington claimed the platforms "engage in, facilitate, turn a blind eye to, or benefit from substantial piracy or counterfeiting".

China: US decision irresponsible & not objective

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 expressed in response, adding that the company was committed to working to resolve the listing.

WeChat had more than 1.2 billion active users around the world in 2021 and Tencent added that it takes a "comprehensive approach" to fight counterfeiting and infringement on its platforms.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry highlighted that the US decision was based on "neither conclusive evidence nor sufficient proof, and is irresponsible and not objective."

In a statement, the ministry affirmed that China did not "recognize the conclusions of the report" and that the country had made "continuous improvements" in its intellectual property protection system in recent years.

The USTR claimed WeChat is "viewed as one of the largest platforms for counterfeit goods in China," alleging "weaknesses" in its seller vetting and mild punishments against offenders.

It also assumed 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 alleged.

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