Cultural industry set to be a pillar of Chinese economy by 2016

Updated: 2011-10-22 17:42

(Xinhua)

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BEIJING -- China's Minister of Culture Cai Wu expects value-added output of the cultural industry to account for 5 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016.

Cai made the remark during a recent interview with Xinhua. The interview came after a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which concluded Tuesday, adopted a landmark resolution on boosting cultural system reform and cultural industry development.

The total value-added output of the cultural industry across China in 2010 amounted to more than 1.1 trillion yuan (around $172.95 billion), or about 2.78 percent of the country's GDP, according to Cai.

To foster the building of cultural industry into a pillar of the national economy, Cai said, China needs to deepen the reform of government-run for-profit cultural organizations, by introducing market-oriented modern corporate system.

"The goal of reform is to cultivate qualified market entities from the government-run commercial cultural organizations and establish a modern and influential cultural industry system," Cai said. "So as to guard the role of state-run cultural enterprises as market leader and improve their international competitiveness."

Urging for an improved modern cultural market system, Cai said emphasis must be placed on the development of markets of books, newspapers and magazines, digital audio and video publications, performing, entertainment, TV series and movies, and cartoons.

Cai also called for improved policy initiatives for the cultural industry.

"It should be guaranteed that the growth speed of public fund allocated for cultural construction remain higher than the growth speed of government's recurring revenues, and that the ratio of cultural spending in total public expenditure be improved," he said.

Further, Cai called on efforts to promote Chinese culture worldwide, by launching major external-oriented cultural promotion projects and cultivating cultural enterprises and intermediary organs with global influence.

China should also actively absorb and learn the excellent achievements of foreign cultures, Cai said, terming the central authorities's decision to step up the introduction of external talents, technology and capital in cultural fields, as a key step in China's opening up drive.

China will further maximize the distribution of cultural industry resources among different regions of the country, according to Cai.

The competitive industries in eastern China's regions, including cartoons and animation games, cultural exhibitions, artistic creation, Internet, cultural digitalization will be further strengthened, Cai said.

Meanwhile, more efforts will also be made to guide central and western regions to develop unique industries of ethnic artistic performance, cultural tourism, artistic works, arts and crafts, and local style festivity activities, he added.