The
billionaire owner of China’s property-to-entertainment conglomerate Wanda Group
has warned Donald Trump that over 20,000 US jobs would be put at risk if the US
president-elect mishandles Chinese investment in the country.
“I
have over $10 billion investment in the United States and employ over 20,000
people,” Wanda’s CEO Wang Jianlin said in a forum over the weekend, according
to a transcript posted Saturday to the company’s official site.
“If
things are mishandled, they will have nothing to eat,” he added.
Wang
said he had asked Chris Dodd, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of
America, to deliver his message to Trump.
He
was responding to a question about US lawmakers’ increasing scrutiny of Chinese
acquisitions of American entertainment assets.
“At
least in the movie and TV industry, you have to realise that English-language
films rely on their Chinese box office for growth,” Wang added.
Chinese
firms have been on a high-profile overseas acquisition spree in recent years,
snapping up leading film studios and television production companies.
Some
US lawmakers have said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United
States, a government group tasked with assessing the national security
implications of foreign investments, should examine the deals, including
Wanda’s.
Wanda
bought US movie theatre chain AMC for $2.6 billion in 2012, which in turn
acquired the London-based Odeon & UCI cinema group this year in a deal
worth around $1.2 billion.
In
January, Wanda spent $3.5 billion to purchase Legendary Entertainment, the
company behind the “Batman” trilogy and “Jurassic World”, as well as the
upcoming “The Great Wall”, starring Matt Damon and directed by Chinese
filmmaker Zhang Yimou.
In
November, it acquired the maker of the Golden Globes awards show, Dick Clark
Productions, for “approximately $1 billion”.
Wang
said the attention from the US Congress reflected the Chinese company’s growing
influence in the country.
“We
still have to wait to see Mr. Trump’s attitude towards Chinese cultural
enterprises after he assumes office,” he said.
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