Film authorities on Friday rejected reports that Hollywood movies had been barred from Chinese cinemas.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television published a statement on its website after it received media inquiries about the reported ban.

"The Chinese government has never stopped granting permission for US movies to be shown," it said.

The US Motion Picture Association (MPA) also told China Daily on Thursday that it was not aware of the alleged ban.

"If such action has been taken or is in the process of being taken, neither the Chinese government nor China Film Group has communicated this to us," Michael Ellis, senior vice-president of the MPA and Asia Pacific regional director, said.

The issue sprang to life with a New York Times report on Wednesday that quoted anonymous US officials as saying the Chinese government was no longer approving American movies for release early next year because of "an apparent trade dispute".

The report attracted worldwide attention. US Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters on the sidelines of the China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue in Xianghe, Hebei Province, that Washington had raised the issue "forcefully" with its hosts, according to overseas media reports.

Yin Hong, a professor at Tsinghua University, said China has been importing a more diverse selection of movies. Last year, films from the UK, France, Germany, South Africa, Russia, South Korea and Singapore played in mainland cinemas.

(China Daily December 15, 2007)