The events of China’s 12th National People’s Congress, which ended on March 17, 2013, pose intriguing implications for the regulation of media in the PRC, particularly as it relates to control of digital content and international media investment in the country.
The growth of digital content distribution created a censorship conundrum in Chinese media regulation. By listing media as one of the “pillar industries” of the PRC, 2011’s 12th five-year plan expanded the range of distribution and exhibition practices, many of which were much more difficult to control than earlier centrally monitored media like radio, television and film. Regulatory changes associated with the 12th National People’s Congress highlight a move by the highest levels of the PRC government to centralize control of digital media under the same umbrella organizations that currently monitor other types of traditional media, such as radio, television and film.
Indeed, until the 12th National People’s Congress, content regulation of digital took place in the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), whereas the State Administration of Rafio, Film and Television (SARFT), regulated old media. Control of China’s media likely became substantially more centralized following the National People’s Congress with the collapsing of GAPP into the SARFT to create the new State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television. For the first time, regulation of digital spaces will fall under the control of the central government’s major content regulator. The long-term implications for media will likely mean that control of content in the Chinese government will become more uniform, with space for fewer diverse public voices in media. Indeed, the move highlights an early outcome of “Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Decision Concerning Deepening Cultural Structural Reform” from the 6th Plenum of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. This statement highlighted a move to streamline procedures for economic growth in the media industries while deepening governmental control. The March 2013 decision to further centralize control of digital media content presents an important conundrum for international media corporations considering developing their Chinese market share. What collaboration with government content regulation policies is acceptable to shareholders, or broader corporate values in exchange for market access?
For more detailed insights into China’s contemporary media reform, please join Aynne Kokas, Baker Institute fellow in Chinese media; Steven Lewis, C.V. Starr Transnational China fellow; and Wenhong Chen, assistant communications at the University of Texas at Austin, for the Transnational China Project‘s event “The Politics of Reform in China.” The event, part of the Baker Institute’s 20th Anniversary series, will be held on Monday, April 1, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at the Kelly International Conference Facility in Baker Hall. The public is invited, but an RSVP is required.
Aynne Kokas is the Baker Institute’s fellow in Chinese media and a sustainability postdoctoral fellow at the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University. Kokas’ current research focuses on the circulation of U.S. environmental media on Chinese social networks.