State department officials have stressed that it is now imperative to seize opportunities to deepen the reform of and speed up the development of the press, publishing, broadcasting, film and television in China.

Officials from related departments said that to carry out reforms in these fields, active efforts will be made to promote group construction and establish benign marketing systems in these fields.

Targets for Reform Fixed

Based on their in-depth investigations and research, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the State Press and Publication Administration have jointly set targets for reforms in these fields in the near future.

Group Construction Emphasized

Officials from the above-mentioned departments said that to carry out reforms in these fields, active efforts will be made to promote group construction and establish benign marketing systems in these fields.

National and regional logistics centers for publications, whole sales centers for films, teleplays, copyrights and advertisements, publishing centers, film production bases and teleplay production centers will be set up in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong Province and other places of the country.

Structural Adjustment to Be Strengthened

The officials said that efforts will also be made to strengthen structural adjustment and management to improve products quality. They stressed the management on importing teleplays and broadcast of imported teleplays.

Digitalization & Development of Networks

They also called for the digitalization and development of networks in these fields to upgrade these industries, and urged relevant organizations to carry out reforms to enhance their respective development abilities.

Current Situation in China

To date, China has established 47 groups in these fields on a trial basis, including 26 newspaper groups, eight broadcast and television groups, six publishing groups, four distribution groups and three film groups.

Competition After WTO Accession

According to China's commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO), it will gradually open its wholesale and retail sales of books and publications to foreign service providers within three years from its official entry into the organization.

Foreign Service Products to Enter China

Foreign service providers will also be allowed to set up cooperative businesses and distribute audio-visual products on the Chinese market in accordance with relevant Chinese laws and under the condition that China's right to examine the contents of audio-visual products is guaranteed.

Cinema Reform and Film Imports

Foreign service providers will also be permitted to build and reform cinemas, with foreign capital not exceeding 49 percent of the total investment in the project; 20 foreign films will be imported into China each year, according to relevant stipulations.

It was noted that China's media organizations are run by the state and will not absorb foreign and private capital.