Accelerating Changes in China's Film and TV Industries

February 29, 2004 | BY

clpstaff &clp articles

New opportunities for foreign companies are emerging in China's film and TV industries, which encourages private and foreign participation in many industry sectors.

By Neal Stender Dong Wang & Ying Zhu, Coudert Brothers, Hong Kong, Beijing & Shanghai

It is planned that the government's role in media will narrow, and will focus on approving and supervising private activities and foreign investment, on guiding technical upgrading, and on accommodating censorship procedures and standards to a commercialized market. The government will also support development of large domestically controlled media groups to compete in Chinese and global markets.

A Public Welcome

So far in 2004, the State Administration for Radio Film & Television (SARFT) has made a major effort to publicize recent changes and future plans. This publicity, and the liberalizing tone of recent statements, sends a clear message of welcome to foreign players in film, TV and related industries. The welcome message includes promises of further gradual loosening of existing restrictions.

SARFT has enjoyed great discretion in supervising the radio, film and television industries, and has generally exercised this discretion based on unpublished policies. The recent flurry of legislation and publicity thus constitutes a major step forward in transparency.

In a highly publicized recent interview,1 the director of SARFT voiced the belief that China's WTO entry will intensify competition from foreign players and will offer new opportunities for the Chinese media industry to catch up with world leaders, through both competition and cooperation.

In the above interview, SARFT commented that major foreign media organizations "have generally established comprehensive and scientific systems for the selection, utilization and education of personnel"

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