NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Hollywood’s reliance on revenue generated from Chinese markets means the industry has not only become beholden to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but has inadvertently contributed to human rights abuses in China, the new book “America Second: How America’s Elites Are Making China Stronger” argues.
According to the book, China’s strict censorship policies have led to film rewrites, script revisions and even an increase in stereotyping against Muslims.
“Hollywood is probably the most pro-Beijing sector of American society and certainly of American business,” Isaac Stone Fish, the book’s author, told Fox News Digital. “It’s such an influential force in the United States and around the world.”
“It’s concerning because the Chinese Communist Party focuses so much on propaganda as a pillar of its legitimacy – it’s a very important part of its national and global strategy,” he added.
HOLLYWOOD’S REAL INFLUENCER: WHY CHINA CAN’T NEVER BE THE EVIL IN TINSELTOWN AGAIN
Stone Fish explained that the Chinese government has succeeded in forcing Hollywood to create narratives that reflect China in a positive light.
Moreover, the CCP managed to remove not only movies and scripts that were critical of China, but companies, producers, and actors were delayed for going through Chinese government talking points.
The Chinese expert showcased a wealth of Hollywood hits like the James Bond franchise that repeatedly bowed to the CCP’s demands.
“The problem with Hollywood is not, why doesn’t Hollywood denigrate China? The problem is, why does Hollywood refuse to even accept the idea of portraying China realistically?” he asked.
The author said that, in an effort to prevent Beijing from cutting parts of films it refuses to show in China, producers have started adhering to the Chinese government’s demands.
CHINESE DIPLOMAT SAYS TENNIS STAR PENG SHUAI IS TOO STRONG TO HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULT
Dozens of leaked emails dating back to 2013 showed how carefully studio executives were scrutinizing China’s censorship demands, the book reveals.
“If we only change the Chinese version, we are preparing for the press to question us about it when bloggers invariably compare versions and realize that we changed the China setting just to pacify the market,” the president reportedly wrote. from Sony, Steven O’Dell. .
It’s not just Chinese villains that have become taboo in Hollywood, depictions of Chinese cityscapes have become tools of political censorship.
Stone Fish – who also sits as CEO of China-focused risk firm Strategy Risks – pointed to the fact that in the 2012 James Bond hit Skyfall, Istanbul was described as “dusty” and “dirty” while that a photo of Shanghai described the city as “futuristic” and full of gleaming skyscrapers.
At the time, Istanbul, a predominantly Muslim city, had an average per capita income that exceeded that of Shanghai.
The author also pointed out that despite heightened tensions with Beijing and Moscow, there has been an increase in Muslim antagonists over the past decade, leading Stone Fisher to argue that the CCP’s demands on the regard to pro-Chinese films have led to discriminatory messages.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“It discriminates against Tibetans and Uyghurs and the huge amounts of Chinese people who strongly disagree with the Chinese Communist Party,” the author told Fox News Digital. “It’s very hypocritical in the sense that Hollywood likes to position itself as a bastion of liberalism but has completely erased Tibetans from its films and portrayal.”
Stone Fish said the biggest threat posed by Chinese censorship is not how it shapes the international perception of the CCP, but how it threatens basic human rights and the lives of Chinese citizens.