China considering ban on Hollywood movies in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs
China is reportedly considering a ban on releasing Hollywood films in the country, in response to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Although products of the film industry are considered services as opposed to physical goods, thus so far escaping the growing trade war between the US and China, authorities in Beijing are reportedly floating the idea of banning Hollywood movies as a retaliatory measure, according to top Chinese officials.
Plans were shared over social media on April 8th by both Liu Hong, a senior editor at the state-backed Xinhua News Agency, and Ren Yi, the renowned grandson of Ren Zhongyi, the former Communist Party chief of the country’s Guangdong Province.
The potential options showed that among a slew of other tariffs aimed to hit the American economy across the board, Chinese officials are mulling the idea of “reducing or banning the import of US films.”
It comes as China is already making moves to create a much more self-serving film industry, as it is increasingly investing in native-language blockbusters made within the country.
For this reason, Hollywood films have seen a significant downturn in the Chinese market in recent years, although it still remains a sizeable force. Demonstrating this, the current box office hit A Minecraft Movie has taken in approximately one-tenth of its $144 million earnings from China alone.
If these retaliatory measures do come into effect, it would hugely hamper both countries’ movie industries, as Chinese language films already struggle to gain ground in North America.
It would also massively weaken Hollywood in its existing perilous state. As it struggles to recoup its losses from the pandemic and 2023 writers’ strikes, more productions are choosing to shift their base to the UK and mainland Europe.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.