Hollywood is unique due to its role as a source of ‘soft power’, which refers to economic and cultural influence in international affairs. While the impact on the content of the films is frequently analysed, the strategic ramifications of China effectively colonising an important source of Anglo-American soft power receives too little attention.

Historically, the US relies on Hollywood to underwrite Pax Americana, the post-war peace characterised by widespread Anglo-American cultural norms and the economic and military position of the United States. By popular acceptance, Hollywood became the lens through which the United States and its allies were seen by the rest of the world. Through this, the US has been able to spread its values around the world, such that American archetypes have become globally-understood tropes.

This is notto say that American cultural values are perfect or that Pax Americana has been without flaws. The West rightly coalesced around the United States after the Second World War as it was obviously superior to the powers of the Warsaw Pact as a force to protect liberty and economic prosperity.

Since the end of the Cold War, the cultural rot within the West has become more pronounced. It is just one symptom of this problem that Hollywood does not recognise its role as custodian of a uniquely Western tradition. The values that were once a feature of Hollywood must now be sacrificed to accommodate the prejudices of the Chinese market and the sensibilities of the Chinese Communist Party.

The West is now in the position of effectively disseminating the propaganda