Forget bootleg DVDs and counterfeit watches, authorities in Beijing have identified an urgent target to clamp down on: T-shirts featuring US President Barack Obama dressed as a red guard.
The T-shirts, which had been a popular item in markets and souvenir stalls, have disappeared from the capital's streets just days ahead of the president's first visit to China.
Tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing Obama wearing a red-star revolutionary cap - the type favoured by Mao Zedong and state leaders during the early Communist rule - have been on sale since last year's presidential election.
Another design shows Obama dressed in Chairman Mao's trademark zhongshan suit and clutching the Statue of Liberty under one arm.
'They sell very well, and seem to be popular with both foreigners and Chinese visitors,' said the owner of one souvenir stall near Houhai Lake, in the heart of the capital. 'But I don't have any for sale at the moment and I doubt you'll be able to find one anywhere in the city this week.'
The owner, who asked not to be named, declined to give reasons for the lack of stock.
But it appears the authorities are keen to prevent any form of embarrassment during Obama's first state visit.