China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced Thursday the extension of a three-year import tax exemption for popular science films for public consumption.

The exemption, effective from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2015, has been approved by the State Council and was aimed at promoting scientific knowledge, said the MOF in a statement on its website.

The country's science and natural history museums, astronomical and meteorological observatories, seismic stations, and higher educational and research institutions have been exempted from customs duties and import value-added tax for the import of popular science films and television programs since 2009, according to the MOF.

A detailed list of the revisions is available on the MOF website.