Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

China is not only a "job-stealer" and "rising threat," but has become a "brainwasher," as Chinese investors and entrepreneurs shift their interest from shoemaking, mobile phone assembling and road building to cinemas, theaters and studios in the US. A question has been raised in the US political sphere - is a "Red Star" looming over Hollywood?Although the US seems to have a bigger problem to worry about as the country approaches a choice between two unpopular candidates for president, China's growing presence in the US entertainment and cultural industries has still created buzz and a bit of alarm among lawmakers and China skeptics.Last month, 16 members of Congress petitioned for special scrutiny of foreign acquisitions of and investment into US media, entertainment and cultural institutions, citing cases of Dalian Wanda Group's purchase of Legendary Entertainment, one of Hollywood's biggest production companies, and AMC Theaters, the second largest chain in the US. "Should the definition of national security be broadened to address concerns about propaganda and control of the media and 'soft power' institutions?" these legislators asked in the letter.Some media and entertainment professionals have also raised eyebrows, such as Rick Berman, a US television producer, who called AMC Theaters "China's red puppet." He has set up the website chinaownsus.com and lobbied against - as he framed it - "the communist takeover of our movies."Despite a fear that China is encroaching on the US economy and imposing military pressure on its sphere of influence, a more unsettling question has emerged: Will China launch a "soft power" war against the US by buying control of the US movie and radio industries and setting them up as platforms to promote communist ideologies?Such concerns about China run counter to the typical tendency of Americans to brim with pride, ambition and an impulse to preach their own values. China might be confused and amused by the paranoia - since when are people afraid that "communist ideologies" will get the upper hand against "universal values?"The panic and anxiety over Chinese companies' acquisition of US entertainment companies is an inevitable reaction because China has always been observed and described in a banal and obsolete way of speech.The majority of print reports, TV programs and films use derogatory words to depict how economically unbalanced, politically authoritarian and culturally controlled China is, unfairly selecting the dark side of a mega Chinese society to exaggerate its problems. The perennial lopsidedness in US media has molded the negative impression of US readers and viewers about China, especially in terms of politics and bilateral trade.Although the US and China, major representatives of two different civilizations, have divergent governing philosophies and senses of responsibility in international affairs, they do not have conflicting understandings about market principles and the common people's pursuit of happiness. Chinese enterprises' investments in and acquisitions of US studios are market-oriented, complementary dealings that can connect America's cutting-edge moviemaking technology with China's booming demand.Concerns that China might try to export communist dogma to Hollywood through these acquisitions are against the nature of business. Chinese investors are perfectly aware that US audiences are not interested in propaganda, because such films have even lost popularity among the Chinese people.It is true that China's increasing presence in Hollywood targets more than economic profits. There are assumptions that these acquisitions connect with a political plan to "tell China's story well" launched by Chinese leadership. This is a built-in purpose to extend understanding of two different cultures among the people in the US and China, particularly for US viewers, who should drop their parochialism about China.The author is a journalist based in Beijing. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn