2The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger will participate in a confidential meeting on China with bipartisan lawmakers alongside top executives from major companies like Apple, Microsoft, and more in Hollywood and Silicon Valley this week, according to Axios.
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Sources revealed that Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the newly-created House Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party, will lead the conversation. Ten other Republicans and Democrats will participate, but the details of the discussion will remain private.
The group is expected to discuss not just defenses against China but also how to compete against Chinese companies in their respective industries, with a large portion of the conversation devoted to Artificial Intelligence (AI). An aide told Axios that the meeting has no legislative agenda but aims to learn the Disney CEO and others’ perspectives on the country.
Disney CEO Bob Iger is expected to meet the lawmakers privately on Wednesday, followed by meetings with other Hollywood producers, former studio executives, and screenwriters. Meetings with tech leaders like Apple CEO Tim Cook will take place on Thursday and Friday in Silicon Valley.
Increasingly tense relations with China have affected The Walt Disney Company’s bottom line. In recent years, many Walt Disney Studios, Marvel Studios, and Pixar films have been censored or banned in China for increasingly diverse content. Still, the country is home to two successful Disney Parks, Shanghai Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disney Resort (though the latter is more complicated, as Hong Kong is a sovereign territory of China but not governed as mainland China).
While we look to entertainment as a way to escape, it’s impossible to entirely remove political and societal pressures from the industry. Iger and other leaders will provide legislators with unique perspectives on China-U.S. relations based on feedback from their audiences.
What do you think Disney CEO Bob Iger will discuss in his meeting on China with United States lawmakers? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.