Chinese cultural products should be promoted more energetically to the international marketplace to narrow China's cultural trade deficit with other countries, top officials have said.

Ding Wei, assistant minister of culture, described China's deficit in the international cultural trade as "huge" at yesterday's press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office.

"Our statistics years ago showed that the ratio of imports of cultural products to exports was 10 to 1 and this ratio has been growing in recent years," he said.

Ding would not give any specific figures on the deficit but statistics from the General Administration of Press and Publication show that China has bought more than 4,000 copyrights from the US in recent years while the copyrights exported to the US during the same period came to just 16.

Ding said traditional Chinese thinking was dragging down the development of the country's cultural industry. "The concept of a cultural industry is new to most Chinese people as traditionally culture and business are separate matters."

"We also lack well regarded cultural products which can find a place in international markets especially those carrying a brand," he observed. "Professional intermediary agents are also in short supply."

He said China has formulated some favorable policies for the development of the cultural industry but, "apparently, the government should offer more incentives."

In an attempt to encourage Chinese manufacturers of such products to 'go global' the Second China International Cultural Fair will be held from May 18 to 21 in Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the General Administration of Press and Publication and the Guangdong provincial government, it is the only national level international cultural fair.

Companies involved with cultural products and agents from 26 foreign cities have signed up to participate making the fair a platform which integrates the manufacturers directly with the international market, said Xu Zongheng, mayor of Shenzhen.

However, Zeng Wei, media publicity director of the annual Beijing Music Festival, argues that even good cultural products may not attract foreign interest because of a huge cultural gap.

"The problem lies in deciding which part of the culture can be transformed into a product and how that can be achieved," he said.

(China Daily April 19, 2006)