Chinese flag waves in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, October 29, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday that its months-long crackdown on intellectual property rights violations was not a response to probes by other countries.

Protection of intellectual property rights is important to China, ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing.

Earlier this month, the ministry said China had launched a campaign targeting theft of business secrets and knock offs of well-known brands, and had taken steps to protect copyrighted material.