China plans to cut back on Hollywood film imports as tensions rise in its trade dispute with the United States.
In a statement released Thursday, the China Film Administration confirmed the move, responding to questions about whether growing U.S. tariffs would affect American movie imports.
The CFA said China would instead focus on increasing film imports from other countries, signaling a shift in cultural and trade priorities.
A spokesperson for the CFA criticized the U.S. government for “abusing tariffs on China,” calling it a wrong move that would have broader cultural consequences.
CFA stated that such actions would “inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favorability towards American films,” reinforcing the rationale behind limiting Hollywood imports and promoting films from other countries.
“We will follow market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported. China is the world’s second-largest film market. We have always adhered to a high level of opening up to the outside world and will introduce more excellent films from the world to meet market demand,” the statement added.
The decision to cut back on American film imports follows President Trump’s move on Wednesday to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 125 percent. In response, China imposed 84 percent tariffs on U.S. goods the next day.
It was earlier reported that China on Tuesday indicated that authorities were considering either a ban or a reduction in Hollywood film imports.
This was seen as part of broader retaliatory measures in response to the escalating trade war with the U.S.
