By Zhang Xiaohuan & Chen Feng, Research Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources, DRC

Research Report, No.340, 2021 (Total 6405) 2021-11-16

Abstract: Accelerating the development of cultural trade is not only the need for economic development in the new era, but also the necessity to increase China’s cultural soft power and China’s international influence of Chinese culture. The scale of China’s cultural trade ranks first in the world and it enjoys a leading position in the world as a whole. However, there are some choking points in the field of cultural trade. For instance,  China’s international competitiveness in the core areas of cultural products is not strong, and the development of regional cultural trade is seriously unbalanced. The 14th Five-Year Plan period is a critical period for China to foster a dual-circulation  development paradigm, and also a period to adjust the structure of China’s cultural trade and enhance the international competitiveness of cultural trade. We need to give full play to the unique advantages of China as a big manufacturer with a large market, consolidate China’s international status in the field of cultural manufacturing, explore new forms and new models of digital culture and creative industries, strengthen the weak links in cultural products and markets, and build cultural trade brands, cultural and creative cities and cultural industry clusters with global influence, so as to fundamentally enhance the international competitiveness of China’s cultural trade.

Keywords: cultural trade, high-quality development, international competitiveness