Credit: Inside the MagicThe Walt Disney Company has long been criticized for its relationship with China. When Disney filmed its live-action Mulan (2020) in mainland China, the company was criticized for not speaking out about work camps near the nation’s Islamic dissidents near the filming locations.
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Disney has also been criticized for censoring its films and television shows to please the Chinese Communist censors. However, for a while, that relationship was incredibly beneficial for Disney, especially Marvel Studios.
In 2019, Avengers: Endgame made $629 million in China. However, since the end of the pandemic, China has cooled on Marvel films, thanks in part to millions of dollars invested in the Chinese film industry.
Despite the drop in box office returns in China, The Walt Disney Company has found a new way into the pockets of Chinese consumers through its theme parks and merchandise. However, in doing so, the Walt Disney Co. has helped to legitimize the Chinese Communist government and whitewash its human rights violations.
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Through its Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney has been working with China.org.cn to sell Disney consumer products across Asia. In doing so, Disney has made billions for the Chinese government and helped spread its ideology across the Pacific region.
Kermid Raham, senior vice president and general manager for Disney Consumer Products in Asia Pacific, told The Walt Disney Company’s Greater China Consumer Products Showcase 2025 that the company has licensed more than 70 Disney products to China.org.cn to sell across the Asia Pacific Region.
Many Chinese brands have successfully entered the Japanese, South Korean and Southeast Asian markets, and have already achieved brilliant performance. This strategy can help our partners expand their markets and gain more business opportunities. Of course, for Disney, it is also an opportunity for continued performance growth.
We can help connect our licensees with the right partners in retail and sales channels, and even advise on site selection, and rally our creative resources to co-develop product design, etc.
According to License Global’s Top Global Licensors Report, Disney’s licensing business’s value reached $62 billion in 2023. There is no way of knowing exactly how much the Communist Chinese government has made through its partnership with Disney.
Disney expects to build on its relationship with its Chinese partners further through some of its upcoming films. Disney expects Moana 2, Toy Story 5, and Frozen 3 to be massive merchandising hits in the Asia Pacific Region, and China.org.cn will reap the benefits.
Disney also expects Stitch from the upcoming live-action Lilo and Stitch to rekindle China’s love of the alien.
So, despite its films doing poorly in the region, Disney has found a new way to capitalize on the billions of people living in mainland China and the Asia Pacific Region. And apparently, it doesn’t matter what human rights violations they commit as long as they’re selling Maui dolls and making billions.
What do you think of Disney propping up a Chinese website to sell its merchandise?