Improving Market Access

In order to cultivate the cultural market, in October 2004 the Ministry of Culture issued an Opinion on Encouraging, Supporting and Guiding Non-Public Sectors of the Economy to Develop the Cultural Industry which lowered market access thresholds. In April 2005, the State Council published the Several Decisions on the Access of Non-Public Capital to the Cultural Industry clearly stipulating the applicable cultural industry sectors that may open to non-public capital. In July 2005, the State Council promulgated a new Regulation on the Administration of Commercial Performances and amended some of the Regulation’s provisions in July 2008, further expanding access for market entities from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as funding channels. All these policies have guided and regulated access for non-public capital to the cultural industry. The Ministry of Culture in 2009 published Several Opinions on the Development of Private Artistic-Cultural Performing Groups, extending policy support to private artistic performing groups in terms of financial support, government procurement, provision of performance venues and equipment, simplified approval processes, talent cultivation and commendation and rewards. In order to usher in foreign capital in line with WTO entry commitments, the Ministry of Culture and relevant departments have jointly issued related documents permitting foreign investors to establish applicable enterprises as wholly-owned or joint ventures. Under certain conditions, foreign investors shall be allowed to establish cooperative or joint ventures in print publication or the production of read-only CDs. Without prejudice to China’s rights of examination and approval of audio-visual products, foreign investors shall be allowed to establish cooperative ventures, with Chinese partners as the dominant party, in distribution of audio-visual products except films. In order to improve regulation of international trading in and commercial exhibitions of artworks, the Notice of the Ministry of Culture and General Administration of Customs on the Issuance of the ‘Interim Provisions for Export-Import Management of Artworks’ was published in June 2009. From 2007 to 2010, China introduced from abroad a volume of publications as finished articles: 2,982,414 book titles, 222,608 periodicals, 4,977 newspaper titles, 46,651 audio-visual products and 8,160 electronic publications. Copyrights were imported for another 52,669 book titles, 1,961 audio-visual products and 382 electronic publications.

China admits 20 revenue-sharing international films every year in fulfillment of its WTO entry commitments. In 2007, box-office from revenue-sharing films totaled 1.17 billion Yuan; for the year 2011, total box office income nationwide amounted to 13.115 billion Yuan, of which imported films earned 6.083 billion Yuan compared to 7.032 billion Yuan from domestic films.