China has agreed to expand the distribution of American movies in Hollywood and increase the pay of American filmmakers, Vice President Biden announced after days of hosting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in the United States.
The concord comes against the backdrop of sharp foreign policy disagreements between the United States and China, including China's successful opposition to the sale of new U.S. F-16s to Taiwan (which wants the fighters to defend itself from China), and China's veto of a United Nations (UN) resolution that called for the Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad to relinquish power.
"This agreement with China will make it easier than ever before for U.S. studios and independent filmmakers to reach the fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs in and around the film industry," Biden said in a statement last night.
The new agreement loosens the government monopoly on movie distribution in China and provides "fairer compensation" for moviemakers when the government does control the distribution. (The new policy should please movie moguls such as Spike Lee, who hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for President Obama last month, and the movie star attendees of Obama fundraisers this week in Hollywood.)
The deal is hardly the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the U.S. and China. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, yesterday blocked Obama's nomination of an assistant secretary of Defense because the president decided not to sell new F-16s to Taiwan in the face of Chinese opposition. (The plan is to upgrade Taiwan's older fighters instead.)
"Many of China's neighbors, including U.S. allies, are rightly concerned about China's military buildup and territorial ambitions," Cornyn wrote to Obama in November. "The U.S. should neither give in to intimidation or threats from China, nor should we cede regional leadership there."
China also joined Russia in vetoing a UN resolution -- championed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- that called for Assad to step down as dictator of Syria, which has been roiled by protests against his regime and the bloody, military crackdown that he initiated in response.
China's veto -- a purely symbolic move, given that Russia's veto would have been sufficient to block the resolution -- "was a gesture to Russia," according to the Jerusalem Post.
