China steps up censorship on films to suit CCP ideals amid growing rift with West

China has stepped up censorship of American films, expanding it from cutting a few scenes to banning an entire film in recent times. The move which poses the risk of spiraling polarity in the world has seen many film scripts altered to suit the needs of "the dragon". Notably, the Asian giant has a gigantic film market valuing more than US$7.4 billion.

"As a country under the rule of law, China regulates the film industry by the Film Administration regulations," Liu Pengyu, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington was quoted as saying by VOA. 

For almost 25 years, Beijing has continued omitting scenes from feature films which is deemed unsuitable for the ruling Communist Party. But, the practice has only expanded in recent times with Chinese censors asking for scripts to be altered. In a more daring move, they have, in many cases, also asked western producers to continue with the censored scripts abroad. Notably, the restrictions have expanded beyond films to include bans on western actors and moviemakers. 

China steps up censoring Hollywood films

A scathing op-ed published by CCP’s mouthpiece Global Times has stated that it was unlikely that censors would allow the Marvel superhero film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to be shown in China. According to the publication, the Benedict Cumberbatch starrer gives a nod to the spiritual movement Falun Gong, which is banned by Beijing. But, the trend has continued for quite some time now. Last year, Spider-Man: No Way Home-another Marvel Studio production, missed a go-ahead from Chinese censors because they wanted the film to slash a scene that showed the Statue of Liberty. The producers did not agree. Many other films, including Eternals and Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten rings, have borne the brunt of the growing rift between the Asian Giant and the west. 

“Now it’s kind of escalated in the sense that they’re much more direct in banning films outright rather than just tampering or asking for scenes to be removed,” Stanley Rosen, a University of Southern California political science professor who follows China’s film industry was quoted as saying by VOA. 

Why has censorship increased recently?

While China's absolutist regime has always manoeuvred and restricted the inflow of infotainment to match its needs, censorship has increased in recent times. It is due to the country's growing rift with the west, particularly the United States. The geopolitical rivals have been at loggerheads regarding a wide range of issues including the status quo in the Indo-pacific region, sovereignty of Taiwan, origins of coronavirus infection, and economic disputes among others. 

(Image: AP)