Music expected to play bigger role in linking China, UK: expert

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Chinese firms have shown increasing awareness of music intellectual property (IP) protection, and there is a lot of room for cooperation between China and Britain in music, said Lord Tim Clement-Jones, Vice-Chairman of the UK All Party Parliamentary China Group.

"We see Chinese digital music platforms operated by firms like Baidu, Tencent and Sina Weibo have taken many measures to counter piracy of music and ensure music artists are paid for their work," said Lord Clement-Jones, who headed a group of British musicians and representatives from music industries to visit Beijing last week.

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Lord Clement-Jones observed that IP is getting attention from the highest levels of the Chinese government, and the music industry is developing rapidly in China with the rise of music-streaming platforms, live music performances and music TV shows.

However, China still lacks the performance and broadcast rights that, if given, will significantly contribute to greater investment in the development of the Chinese music market by helping improve musical artists' pay, he pointed out.

A four-day China-UK Pop Music Festival held by the Anglo-Sino Cultural Exchange Association ended Sunday. The event aimed to promote the role of music as a bridge linking the two countries to echo the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

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"The Belt and Road Initiative, to me, is a metaphor for communication between the East and the West. It is not only about roads, bridges or ports, but also music, culture and whatever combines us," he said.

The British Council has organized a series of activities between the two countries, including exchanges of musical artists as well as initiatives to enhance music IP protection, he said.

"Music has a big role to play in the Belt and Road Initiative, and informal contact is very important to this end," he added.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency