Rampant piracy of audio-visual products and prostitution are the knottiest problems facing the Chinese entertainment market. Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng detailed the situation in his report on the state of the entertainment market in Beijing Monday at the 14th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

He said trouble is an outgrowth of the development of the market. Illegal audio-visual publications and prostitution are still widespread though crackdowns have been launched.

The cheap smuggled and pirated products are causing a decline in the sales of legal items, he said, adding that the limited supply of legal publications, a lack of wide intellectual propertyawareness and mismanagement of the market make room for the appearance of unlawful products.

He pointed to illegally-operated entertainment places and local protectionism as the reason for the high number of prostitutes.

He said steps should be taken to develop the entertainment market in a healthy way. He suggested laws and regulations be passed in addition to the seasonal crackdowns.