BEIJING - More than 14 million pirated or illegal publications were destroyed across China on Thursday just ahead of World Intellectual Property Day on April 26.

The items included pirated audio and visual products, books, digital publications and unauthorized newspapers and periodicals, according to a statement issued by the National Copyright Administration.

About 600,000 items were destroyed in Beijing alone, the administration said.

The nation faces an arduous task in fighting piracy as more illegal publications have moved online and repeated cases were reported in some places, said Yan Xiaohong, deputy head of the administration.

Yan, who is also deputy head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television, called for intensified efforts to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) for a favorable environment for innovation.

According to the statistics of the administration, more than 7 million pirated publications were confiscated in 2015. In the first quarter this year, about 1.2 million pirated publications were seized nationwide.