ABSTRACT
In 2005, China’s cultural trade deficit hit the news. Despite a massive domestic market China is a net importer of cultural products. A press conference convened in April by the State Council Information Office allowed Ding Wei, the assistant Minister of Culture, the platform to announce the nation’s deficit in international cultural trade. This was what might be colloquially termed ‘a wake-up call’. China needed to look outwards. Figures published in the 2004 Yearbook of China’s Publishing Industry revealed that the ratio of imports of cultural products to exports stood at 10.3 to 1. In 2003, China had imported 12,516 copyrighted books and had exported just 811 (see Table 9.1).1
