The State Council on May 11 released an opinion to guide government purchases of cultural services from society.

The opinion, jointly announced by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and the General Administration of Sport, guides government bodies at all levels to build a favorable mechanism which suits the needs of social development and fulfills people’s increasing needs by 2020.

By 2020, more social forces will be involved in the creation of cultural products and cultural services will be enriched with better quality, the opinion said.

To do so, the State Council instructed:

Government bodies at all levels should, while buying cultural services from society, carry forward advanced socialist culture, further the reform of the cultural system, develop and enrich socialist culture, and combine traditional Chinese culture with the core socialist values.

The authorities should improve the management of purchase of cultural services from society. Policy support, financial investment and market supervision should be promoted to build a coordinated purchase system and management mechanism by the central and local governments.

Fully use the role of the market in allocating cultural resources to build a multi-level and diversified cultural supply system.

The purchase of cultural services by the government should fulfill the needs of the people while highlighting public welfare and common interests.

The authorities should regulate the procedure of purchasing cultural services from society and emphasize the principle of being open and fair.

The authorities should specify the buyer and the content of cultural services while purchasing from society.