Chinese cultural products should be further promoted to the
international market to narrow China's cultural trade deficit with
other countries, top officials said.
Ding Wei, assistant minister of culture, described China's
deficit in international cultural trade as "huge" at yesterday's
press conference held by the State Council Information Office.
"Our statistics years ago showed that the ratio of imports of
cultural products to exports was 10 to 1, and this ratio has only
been enlarging in recent years," he said.
Ding would not give any specific figures regarding the deficit,
but statistics from the General Administration of Press and
Publication show that China has bought more than 4,000 copyrights
from the United States in recent years, but the copyrights exported
to the United States during the same period amounted to only
16.
Ding said traditional Chinese thinking is dragging the
development of the country's cultural industry. "The concept of a
cultural industry is new to most Chinese people, as traditionally
culture and business are separate matters."
"We also lack well-received cultural products that can occupy
international markets, especially the branded ones. Professional
intermediate agents are also in shortage."
He said China has formulated some favorable polices for the
development of the culture industry, but "apparently, the
government should offer more incentives."
In an attempt to further promote Chinese cultural products to go
global, the Second China International Cultural Fair will be held
from May 18 to 21 in Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong
Province.
Jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, the State
Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the General
Administration of Press and Publication, and the Guangdong
provincial government, it is the only national level international
cultural fair.
Cultural companies and agents from 26 foreign cities have signed
up to participate, which makes the fair a platform that integrates
Chinese cultural products with the international market, said Xu
Zongheng, mayor of Shenzhen who was also at the conference.
However, Zeng Wei, media publicity director of the annual
Beijing Music Festival, argues that even good cultural products may
not attract foreign audiences because of a huge cultural gap.
"The problem lies in deciding which part of the culture should
be transformed into a product, and how you can transform it," he
said.
(China Daily April 19, 2006)
