China Appoints Wang Xiaohui as Film Bureau Chief

China has appointed high-ranking lawyer and bureaucrat Wang Xiaohui as head of the Film Bureau. The position had been vacant since March.

A reshuffle had been in the cards for a couple of months since the government announced that the State Administration for Press Publishing Radio Film & Television (SAPPRFT) and the Film Bureau were shifted to be under direct control of the Communist Party’s Propaganda Department. That move is seen as part of a growing government crackdown over media, the internet, and social media.

In addition to the new Film Bureau role, Wang is expected to retain his title as deputy minister of the Propaganda Department. The Chinese Government Network described Wang as 55 years old, hailing from Jilin Province and, after completing a Masters degree in law, starting a career at the Propaganda Department in 1986. In 2014, he served as deputy director of the Central Policy Research Office.

In related appointments, Fan Weiping was appointed as deputy director of the State Administration of Radio and TV; and Zhuang Rongwen was appointed director of the National Press and Publication Administration.

The Propaganda Department now includes the State Press and Publication Administration, the National Copyright Administration, and the National Film Bureau.

“After adjustments, the main duties of the Central Propaganda Department in film management are to manage film administrative affairs; supervise film production, distribution, and screening; organize review of film content; guide the coordination of major national film activities; and assume external cooperation,” the Chinese Government Network said.

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