Culture in plenum spotlight

Increasing China's soft power through more cultural exchanges and regular global communication has found place in the Decisions on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, issued by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

China remains a "big economic power but a weak cultural force" despite about 60 percent of the respondents to a recent survey in 14 countries saying that it is "a global power".

The mismatch between economic strength and cultural influence is also evident in the disparity between the strengths of Chinese and foreign cultural enterprises. Six Chinese steel companies figure on the world's top-10 list in their field, while the highest-ranking Chinese cultural enterprise occupies the 40th spot and only two find place on the list of the top 50 global cultural enterprises. There is no denying that Chinese cultural enterprises enjoy a much lower global status compared with domestic companies in other industries.