China may be the world's leading producer of animation but it lacks original cartoons, officials said yesterday at the opening day of the 2011 CCG Expo in Shanghai.

According to a report from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China produced more than 220,000 minutes of animation last year, making the country the world's leading animation producer ahead of Japan.

However, in terms of artistry and originality, only a few Chinese cartoon productions are impressive and influential, industry experts said.

Sixteen domestic animated films earned about 200 million yuan (US$30.9 million) at the box office in 2010.

In recent years, most Chinese cartoon films have not been widely distributed, except for "The Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" franchise.

To tackle this, China will enhance policy support to boost development of the industry, officials have said.

The government will add a national animation award to its current awards categories, which already include theater, folk arts and mass culture. Every three years, 30 excellent animation projects and animators will be honored.

Chinese animation studios and companies with a registered capital of more than 800,000 yuan are also likely to get tax exemptions when importing overseas animated films and comics used in research.

Gross output of the industry surged 27.8 percent last year to more than 47 billion yuan.

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