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China denies pressuring Disney over Dalai Lama film
December 12, 1996
Web posted at: 12:55 p.m. EST (1755 GMT)BEIJING (CNN) -- China on Thursday said it never put pressure on the Walt Disney Co. for backing a film about the life of Tibet's exiled god-king, the Dalai Lama.
"The Chinese government... has never put pressure in any way on the Disney Co.," Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang told a news briefing.
"We only hope the Disney group will be able to better cooperate with China in relevant areas," he added without elaboration.
Shen made his statements after reporters asked about a film industry letter that criticized Beijing for what it called attempting "to impose worldwide censorship" on China-related films.
A group of 41 movie actors, actresses, producers and directors -- including Paul Newman and Bernardo Bertolucci -- sent the letter on Wednesday to the Chinese ambassador to the United States.
Last month, China reportedly blasted Disney for moving ahead with the production of the film "Kundun," based on the Dalai Lama. Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of inciting unrest in the region. Despite Beijing's objections, Disney said it had no plans to cancel the film's release.
In Wednesday's letter, the film industry personalities said China's warning to Disney was the latest incident in a persistent effort by Beijing to censor the film industry. The letter cited 12 incidents, in which the film industry believed China has interfered with production.
Disney is eager to expand into Asia, particularly China, where demand for U.S. products is high. It remained to be seen if Disney's involvement in "Kundun" would hurt its ambitious business expansion plans in China.
The Dalai Lama fled his Himalayan homeland in 1959 after a failed uprising against Communist rule and won the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years later for his non-violent campaign for autonomy for Tibet.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Exiled Tibetans sustain culture from afar - December 7, 1996
- Dalai Lama calls for pressure on China over Tibet - July 16, 1996
- Dalai Lama arrives in Australia amid Chinese warnings - September 14, 1996
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