Author: Liu Guangxi
Title: Vice-President of Shanghai College of Foreign Trade
Paper Title: Entrance of WTO and the Development of Cultural Industry in China
Key words: mistaken idea about culture; market-oriented cultural industry

Abstract:
Many people are worried about the impact that the entrance of WTO will have on the cultural and media industry. Based on the negotiations between China and other member nations about China's accession and the commitments China made, the extent to which China will open its cultural and media industry is not as great as some people have imagined. There are four mistaken ideas concerning the future development of culture after China joins WTO. First, cultural industry is a clean sector, which should continue to be placed under the government's control, thus no "cultural intervention" by developed western countries is allowed. Secondly, being a big country with a long history of glorious culture, China has no cause to be impatient because sooner or later it will become a big power in terms of cultural industry. Thirdly, China's cultural industry should become totally market-oriented during the post-WTO era. Fourthly, once the cultural industry sector is opened, the ideology of China would be jeopardized and assimilated by foreign cultures.

Author Profile:
Born in 1964 in Shangdon province, Mr. Liu received his doctoral degree in WTO and regional economic cooperation. He took part in the substantial negotiations on China's entrance to WTO as one of the leading members of the Chinese delegation for 13 years.
His official posts include: the Third Secretary of the Chinese embassy to the US, Second Secretary of the Chinese UN delegation to Geneva, WTO Section Head of the International Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, and Commercial Counselor of the Consulate-General of China in Los Angeles in 2000.
Now he is also Executive Deputy-Director of the Shanghai WTO Research Center.

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