BEIJING - Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan on Tuesday urged for protecting consumers' interests by issuing tougher punishments to those found guilty of producing fake and substandard goods.

The government must make manufacturers "pay a steep price" for making shoddy goods and focus on tackling quality issues that threaten people's lives and health, Wang told a meeting for work quality here.

China faces the challenges of inadequate innovation by enterprises, a lack of well-known brands, rampant counterfeit production in some areas and a frequent occurrence of accidents linked with low-quality products, said Wang.

He called on local governments and enterprises to work together to guard against systematic, regional or industrial-scale safety risks caused by quality problems.