Young people from Taiwan have hailed China's move to cut in imports of American movies in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called "reciprocal" tariffs.
China on Thursday announced the plan to moderately reduce the number of U.S. films imported. U.S. film studios saw their stock prices decrease sharply shortly thereafter.
A spokesperson for the China Film Administration said that the adjustment follows market principles and reflects audience preferences, as the United States' recent hikes in tariffs on Chinese imports are bound to impact Chinese audiences' interest in U.S. movies.
In self-filmed videos, young people from Taiwan said they felt proud of the move, underscoring that China has been producing an increasing number of high-quality movies, including animated powerhouse "Ne Zha 2", which is currently the fifth highest-grossing film of all time globally.
"China took immediate action against the U.S.' hegemonic behavior, which is something to be proud of," said Chen Bo-rui, a Taiwan youth.
"Our plan to moderately reduce the number of U.S. films imported shows that we are confident about our productions. It is an active choice. In recent years, Chinese movies have become better and better. Those blockbusters show that domestically-produced movies can already meet people's needs," said Liau Jia-Shing, another Taiwan youth.
"The Chinese mainland now has many excellent cultural products, such as 'Ne Zha 2'. They are on a par with international counterparts," said Shiue Ying-tung, a Taiwan youth.
"As a Taiwan youth, I prefer to spend money supporting our own Chinese films," said Hu Cheng-han.
According to Taiwan media, the U.S. government has abused its ability to levy tariffs and the Chinese market will respond accordingly. If the U.S. continues along the same path, its film industry will not be the last to be hit, the outlets noted.
Analysts said that the reduction in the number of American movies entering the Chinese market will have a far-reaching impact on the U.S. film industry.
"This will have a big impact on Hollywood productions. With the rise of Chinese mainland movie market, people have seen that Chinese mainland films have made great progress. They are becoming better and better. They are set to become a leader on global markets," said Hsieh Chih-chuan, a Taiwan commentator.
Taiwan youth cheer as China hits back at US film industry
A major port in northern Venezuela came under U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of January 3, which caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, destroyed critical medical supplies in a warehouse, and severely impacted centuries-old cultural heritage sites, according to local residents.
The La Guaira Port, a vital hub for imports that support daily life in the region, was heavily damaged during the attack.
Large quantities of medical supplies stored at the port were destroyed. A historic cultural building dating back for some 300 years was also badly damaged by the bombardment.
Residents living near the port recalled the terrifying scenes as explosions shook nearby neighborhoods.
Humberto Bolivar, who lives in a community separated from the port by only a main road, said the blast waves shattered his home's windows, while stray shrapnel struck the water tank on his roof. According to reports, three missiles were fired at the port that night.
Bolivar said that beyond material losses, he is most concerned about the psychological impact on his children, who remain too frightened to leave their home days after the attack.
"The United States invaded our country. The children were frightened. This is not good for them, because it leaves some children with psychological trauma. They do not want to go to school or leave the house, because they are afraid that something worse might happen. We truly do not want this to happen to our country," he said.
Apart from civilian facilities, local cultural heritage site was also affected.
The La Guaira state government building, a structure with nearly 300 years of history and once served as the site of Venezuela's first national customs office, was struck by the force of the explosions.
Windows of the building were shattered, and furniture scattered across the floor.
"As people of La Guaira, we feel deep pain. Our cultural heritage has been bombed. We are living in constant anxiety and suffering, and life can no longer be the same as it was before," said a local named Henry Cumares.
The U.S. side has claimed the airstrikes targeted warehouses allegedly used to store narcotics. However, locals refuted such accusation.
"According to what Donald Trump said, they bombed this place using the excuse that the warehouses here were used to store drugs at the port. But based on the video released by our governor, these warehouses that were burned contained medicine for kidney patients and foods. Many people depend on these supplies to survive. I think the bombing is extremely despicable," said a local resident named Alejandro Capriles.
US strike hits Venezuelan port, wrecking medical supplies, heritage building
