As China has already entered into the WTO it will step up its efforts in forming a comprehensive publishers group, said Shen Ren'gan, deputy director of China State Copy Right Administration recently but in the meanwhile will reserve the right of examination and approval over the copyrights trading companies.
The entering into the WTO will make China's publishing circle to face great challenges brought about by it, pointed out Shen Ren'gan at the workshop of copyright trading convened recently. And so to speed up the forming of a batch of large-sized publishers' groups featuring comprehensive media resources is one of the measures to cope with the challenges. The publishers group must not only publish books, audio-visuals, papers, magazines, but should also run TV stations and be sure to turn it into a multi-media publishing industry group with the publication business as its core.
Within three years after China's entry into the WTO, China will gradually open the sales and retail market of publications to the outside. The capital from outside will not be satisfied with selling only the Chinese publications but will pin its hope on bringing the foreign publications into the Chinese market. For this purpose, the foreign capital will set a gag on the production of publications by way of distribution.
With respect to the copyright trading, the Chinese Government will not exercise right of examination and approval over a single introduction of a certain copyright. However, it will retain the right of examination and approval of a setup for copyright trading, namely, the establishment of an institution for controlling the copyright trading with foreign countries and regions. That must be subject to approval. The Chinese government will keep in hand the administrative procedure for examination and approval but the criteria and conditions are open and transparent and any foreign agents of qualification will be welcomed to enter into the Chinese market.
We have to make a reformation of the existing copyright agent companies since China has already entered the WTO. The Chinese government will support whoever is able to carry out well the undertakings of a copyright agent in China, be it a state-owned or private one. This is due to the need for the development of a market economy. The government is an administrative section in accordance with the law and will afford its support to whichever enterprise doing business in line with the law.
(People’s Daily February 8, 2002)
