MOFCOM spokesperson He Yadong Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

China's online literature, web dramas, and online games are going viral in the world now, creating a "Chinese whirlwind" and serving as new engines for cultural consumption and cultural exports, He Yadong, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said on Thursday.

He made the remarks in response to a media question about the driving forces behind China’s service exports, which rose 15 percent year-on-year in the first four months of this year. Public spending on cultural and recreational services jumped by 39.5 percent year-on-year, while intellectual property royalties saw solid growth of 20.8 percent.

The spokesperson attributed the growth to policy support and industrial development, noting that the international competitiveness of Chinese services has been rising rapidly. Exports of knowledge-intensive services, which cover areas such as intellectual property and cultural entertainment, rose by 11.7 percent in the first four months, accounting for 55.2 percent of total service exports.

In the intellectual property field, data from relevant research institutions show that overseas licensing deals for China's innovative drugs have hit new highs incessantly, with the country's global market share exceeding 40 percent in 2025, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson noted that, since the beginning of this year, MOFCOM has rolled out a series of policies in line with the central government's directives, including measures to boost travel service exports, standardize trade in services, and accelerate the construction of national demonstration zones for innovative development of service trade and national digital trade demonstration zones.

The ministry is also implementing initiatives to help cultural enterprises explore international market. Moving forward, MOFCOM will continue to follow through on relevant policies and accelerate the cultivation of new drivers for service trade, the spokesperson said.