Two Oscar judges have highly praised the Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2", calling it a major and incredible achievement made by the Chinese film industry.
The animated epic fantasy film, released on January 29, has shattered multiple box office records so far, becoming the first film to cross 1 billion U.S. dollars in a single market and the first non-Hollywood film to join the coveted billion-dollar club.
The film was screened on Friday in a limited theatrical release in North America, with its North American pre-sale box office exceeding the opening weekend record for any Chinese-language film in the past 20 years.
After watching the film in Los Angeles, Oscar judge Sheila Sofian expressed her admiration for the Chinese hit, highlighting the cutting-edge production design and the skillful storytelling.
"I'm so impressed on so many different levels with the accomplishments of this particular film. Because I had already seen the previous film, I was sort of expecting the same level, which was brilliant. But this grows even higher in terms of production design, sound design, and music. The story itself was so complicated, and all the twists and turns kept me guessing the entire time. So I was very engaged, sort of on the edge of my seat the whole time," she said.
Another Oscar judge, Alan Ellasof, described the Chinese animated film as a major achievement, praising its action design, emotional appeal, and philosophical elements.
"What's expanded and great about this movie is, first of all, the quality of the animation, the production design -- everything is amazing! Also, the different ways the story operates on different levels. Obviously, there's a lot of great action, but there are also a lot of touching scenes and a lot of philosophy. I think it combines a lot of layers, which I think is really incredible. It's a major achievement. I think everyone in China, particularly in the Chinese film industry, should be really proud," said Ellasof.
As of Saturday, the total box office of "Ne Zha 2" (including pre-sales and overseas earnings) has surpassed 11 billion yuan (about 1.52 billion U.S. dollars), making it the 11th highest-grossing film worldwide.
Oscar judges praise Chinese blockbuster 'Ne Zha 2' as major achievement
Oscar judges praise Chinese blockbuster 'Ne Zha 2' as major achievement
China has expressed grave concern over a draft revision of the European Union (EU)'s Cybersecurity Act, stating that it politicizes trade and economic issues and overstretches the concept of security, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.
China formally submitted its comments to the European Commission on April 17, outlining its serious concerns and official position, a ministry spokesperson said.
According to the spokesperson, the draft introduces highly subjective and arbitrary "non-technical risks" in the name of cybersecurity and supply chain security.
In particular, the draft would identify "countries posing cybersecurity concerns" and "high-risk suppliers," and exclude listed countries and suppliers from relevant EU supply chains across 18 sectors, including energy, transport, and information and communications technology, according to the spokesperson.
In the comments submitted to the European Commission, China pointed out that the draft may violate basic World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, including the principle of most-favored-nation treatment and the principle of national treatment, as well as the EU's specific commitments on trade in services.
The draft is also suspected of exceeding the EU's legal authority by encroaching on member states' exclusive powers in managing national security affairs.
If adopted, it would cause substantive harm to China-EU economic and trade relations, severely disrupt global industrial and supply chains, and weigh on the EU's own digital and green transition, said the spokesperson.
China has urged the EU to remove provisions related to "countries posing cybersecurity concerns" and "non-technical risks," and to delete or substantially revise the criteria for identifying "high-risk suppliers" and the related restrictive measures.
China also expressed hope that the EU will give due consideration to the submitted comments and proposed revisions, strictly abide by WTO rules, avoid discriminatory restrictive measures, and safeguard the stability and smooth operation of China-EU and global industrial and supply chains.
China will closely follow the progress of the draft revision and stands ready to engage in dialogue with the EU on the matter, the spokesperson said, warning that should the EU insist on turning the draft into law and discriminate against Chinese companies, China would have to take corresponding countermeasures.
China hopes the EU will not underestimate China's firm resolve to safeguard national interests and the lawful rights and interests of its companies, and to prevent China-EU economic and trade ties from backsliding, according to the spokesperson.
China voices grave concern over draft revision of EU Cybersecurity Act
