Shanghai has rolled out a series of policies at the China International Game Developers Conference (CIGDC) to support the gaming industry.
On Friday, ChinaJoy, the last major event of the Shanghai Summer International Animation Month, officially opened.
This year, ChinaJoy introduced the CIGDC for the first time on Thursday, building a platform for global game industry communication. Nearly100 well-known overseas game enterprises from Japan, South Korea, Finland and other countries were invited to attend.
As a major hub of China's gaming industry, Shanghai is also vigorously promoting the overseas expansion of games. At the conference, Shanghai launched a "policy toolkit" covering funds, talents and services.
The metropolis also supports East China Normal University in setting up a game planning major to cooperate with leading enterprises.
"We have established the Research and Service Center for Games Globalization, which provides a full life-cycle overseas expansion service for related game enterprises, including financial support, copyright protection, legal aid, channel development, and information sharing," said Lu Yiwei, director of the Network Publishing Department of the Publicity Department under Shanghai Communist Party of China Central Committee.
At a forum of ChinaJoy, also known as the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, on Thursday, leading game companies such as Tencent, NetEase and Perfect World discussed and exchanged views on innovative overseas expansion. It is widely believed that the current AI-driven new quality productivity is the key driving force for China's game industry to shift from "scale expansion" to "quality leap".
"We are extremely proud that our Chinese games have strongly occupied six spots on the global top 10 game list," said Xie Fei, president of Zhejiang Century Huatong Group Company.
"In the era of large models, the technology of AIGC has significantly enhanced our research and development efficiency. The digital entertainment industry, represented by the gaming industry, is the best 'experimental field' for our entire cutting-edge technology," said Yi Di, vice president of Perfect World.
From plot copywriting, 3D modeling to game special effects, the application value of generative AI large models in the game industry has sparked heated discussions. In the first half of this year, the actual sales revenue of the domestic game market reached 168 billion yuan (about 23 billion U.S. dollars), up 14 percent year on year, setting a new record high. Among the top 50 game revenue enterprises in the country, Shanghai accounts for nearly a quarter.
Shanghai rolls out policies to support gaming industry
As anticipation builds for the upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, international figures worldwide have expressed hope that the exchange will chart a course for stable China-U.S. relations and deliver positive ripple effects for global peace and prosperity.
At the invitation of Xi, Trump will pay a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday.
The trip marks the first visit to China by a U.S. president in nine years, since Trump visited during his first term in office back in 2017.
In an interview with China Media Group, Eugene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, emphasized the vast cooperation opportunities between the United States and China, as well as the critical importance of sustained dialogue.
"The two largest economies in the world have much trade, cultural exchange and education opportunities. We, at the Port of Los Angeles, we'd like to see that continue to grow to new heights. At the Port of Los Angeles, 40 percent of our business portfolio is trade with China, so very important. When those policies were loosened and both sides started talking more, we saw cargo volume pick up again, so important to the American consumers, to American jobs and to bolster Sino-U.S. relations," said Seroka.
The sentiment is echoed far beyond American shores. Fernando Huanacuni, former foreign minister of Bolivia, described the upcoming leaders' meeting as "an important milestone" and "a watershed moment".
"The upcoming meeting between Chinese and U.S. presidents is an important milestone and a watershed moment. The agenda of this summit will focus not only on bilateral issues of mutual concern, but also on major international topics. As the world seeks balance across the global economy, technology, trade, and geopolitics, China is undoubtedly playing a crucial role. For this reason, the meeting has aroused widespread anticipation," said Huanacuni.
In Europe, Janusz Piechocinski, former deputy prime minister of Poland, underscored the necessity and significance of the presidential engagement, pointing to the tangible impact of last October's summit between the two leaders in Busan of the Republic of Korea.
"The U.S. president's visit to China and his upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping are both highly significant and greatly necessary. Last year's summit between the two leaders effectively eased trade frictions, injected greater confidence into the world, and helped stabilize bilateral relations. We look forward to this meeting yielding positive outcomes and bringing greater stability and certainty to the world," said Piechocinski.
Int'l figures anticipate Xi-Trump meeting to be catalyst for stable relations, global prosperity
