China's new approach to exporting its arts

China plans to take an active part in the making of international rules for cultural trades, in a bid to boost the country's exports in the arts and expand its cultural influence around the world. From now until 2015, China will further encourage its cultural products to go global and promote cultural exchanges and cooperation with other countries, according to a national outline for the 2011-2015 period issued on Wednesday. The government will encourage domestic cultural businesses to explore the overseas market in various forms including outbound investments, and it will also open certain fields of its home market in accordance with the law for foreign investments, the outline said. The government will give support to some major domestic enterprises and key projects that will boost cultural exports and their international competitiveness. According to the outline, the government will support exports of books, films and games. It called for more efforts to explore the country's indigenous culture and to make full use of modern techniques to develop products with appeal to international audiences. China will carry out cultural cooperation and assistance projects with foreign countries, and support cultural exchanges between the country's border regions and neighboring countries and regions, the outline said. Furthermore, more prominent academic and cultural works of China will be translated into foreign languages and introduced to the world. The outline also called for efforts to combine both governmental and non-governmental cultural exchanges. Issued by the general offices of both the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, the outline specifies the guiding principles, major goals and key aspects of the cultural reforms and development that will take place between 2011 and 2015.