China is reportedly considering a ban on all US films in retaliation for Donald Trump raising tariffs on Chinese imports.
Earlier today, Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, including a massive 104 per cent duty on Chinese goods, came into effect.
Bloomberg News reports that in China, two widely followed bloggers with links to the local authorities shared identical lists of measures that could be introduced by Chinese authorities in response. These include “reducing or banning the import of US films.”
The bloggers, Liu Hong, a senior editor at the Xinhua News Agency, and Ren Yi, grandson of former Guangdong Province Communist Party chief Ren Zhongyi, both attributed the plans to sources familiar with the Chinese state’s planning.
In 2024, US films grossed around $585 million in China. This represents around 3.5 per cent of China’s total $17.71 billion box office. A significant proportion of that haul was attributable to the success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which made $132 million in China.
The total US and Canada domestic box office for the same period was around $8.56 billion.
When global tariffs were initially announced, Trump imposed a 54 percent tariff on Chinese imports. The White House now says that will increase by an extra 50 percent.
The Chinese foreign ministry vowed its country would “fight till the end” amid reports it is preparing for a US imports block, as it accused America of “typical unilateralism and protectionist economic bullying.”
Along with the film industry, the US agricultural sector could also be impacted, with China reportedly mulling a total ban on poultry.
The film sector represents a sizeable US trade surplus with China, as Chinese films do not tend to be as popular overseas. However, last month, some American-based Chinese campaigned for animated hit Ne Zha 2 to get an IMAX release in the US.
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The animated blockbuster has already landed a release date for 37 territories across Europe, including the UK and Ireland.
Ne Zha 2, made on an $80 million budget, has already become the highest-grossing animated film in history after making $2.06 billion in China, overtaking last year’s US-made Inside Out 2, which made $1.7 billion worldwide.
The film is a sequel to the 2019 fantasy adventure Ne Zha, which follows a young boy born with unique powers who teams up with dragon prince Ao Bing to fight demons and save the very community that fears him.
