A flurry of private Chinese investment into Hollywood should prompt Beijing to loosen its restrictions on U.S. film imports. Hollywood producers, eager to build ties to the world's second-largest film market, have embraced an influx of Chinese capital in recent years, leading to a series of high-profile partnerships. Chinese authorities have gradually raised the annual quota of foreign films to 34 but state censors still keep a firm grip over what may be shown. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is leading a two-week trade mission across three Asian countries, raised the issue of foreign film quotas, during a meeting with Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs Zhang Yesui in Beijing. Former Warner Bros film chief Jeff Robinov announced the creation of a new studio reportedly with $200 million backing from Fosun International, one of China's largest private conglomerates. Moreover, the state-affiliated Shanghai Media Group pledged to invest $1 billion alongside veteran producer Robert Simonds on films, while Wanda Dalian acquired the AMC Entertainment Holdings cinema chain in 2012 as its first move into Hollywood. Although such joint partnerships may help studios get around foreign quotas, they are coming at a time when China's ruling Communist Party has tightened control over the media. Chinese regulators pulled four U.S. television series from online streaming sites, while President Xi Jinping has urged the country's artistic elite to promote socialist values, eschew "the stink of money" and become a cultural influence on the world stage. The mayor, who has met his counterparts in the southern Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, welcomed Chinese investment and tourism, particularly following a revision in the U.S.-China visa treaty that now allows Chinese citizens unlimited visits over a 10-year period. The gLAWcal Team LIBEAC project Friday, 21 November 2014 (Source: Reuters)