More than 1.81 million pirated CDs and DVDs were seized in a production factory in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province on March 17, in the largest single crackdown on CD and DVD piracy in the country's history.

Thirty production machines in 11 warehouses were confiscated and 13 people arrested.

The production base was located on the airport expressway so the illegal products could be easily transported to other regions in China, said Li Baozhong, deputy director of the national office responsible for cracking down on pornographic and illegal publications.

"The crackdown will help deter piracy in China," Li added.

"This case revealed new tricks by the pirates. The criminals erase the production ID code on the discs in order to destroy evidence showing who provided the original discs," Li said.

"We calculate that if all 30 machines in the production base were in operation for eight hours, more than 300,000 pirated discs could be produced in one night," Li added.

China's Ministry of Public Security last month urged police to step up the fight against piracy, focusing on software, CDs and DVDs.

A circular from the ministry said the fight against piracy was still very arduous, and should be a priority for public security departments nationwide.

Public security departments would offer rewards for information on piracy crimes, and endeavor to arrest the organizers and ringleaders.

China has launched a "spring campaign" against illegal and pirated publications that will last until May.

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2007)