the Middle Kingdom

アメリカで今、注目が集まっているニュースです。line one's own pockets（「私腹を肥やす」）も思わず笑いましたが、何よりもthe Middle Kingdomは久しぶりに目にした表現です。
the Middle Kingdomはエジプトを指す場合もありますが、中国のニックネームとしても用いられます。中国語のChung kuoのliteral translationです。（UG）

Is Hollywood paying to play in China?

Hong Kong (CNN) – To paraphrase Claude Rains in “Casablanca,” reports from U.S. regulators suggest they are “Shocked! Shocked!” to learn Hollywood studios may be lining pockets in Beijing to get a foothold in the Middle Kingdom's theater market.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears to be poking around whether Hollywood studios are buying their way into one of the world’s largest – and most tightly controlled – media market. The investigation, first reported by Reuters, says the SEC has sent inquiries to 20th Century Fox, Disney and DreamWorks Animation.

The investigation centers on bribes to Chinese official to get the right to film and show studio movies in China, according to Reuters, the New York Times and the L.A. Times – all citing anonymous sources. The news comes just two months after China’s Vice-President Xi Jinping – who is widely expected to succeed Hu Jintao as president of China in 2013 – wrapped up a week-long trip to the U.S. with a Los Angeles visit that included a $2 billion deal between two Chinese firms and Dreamworks Animation.

http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/26/is-hollywood-paying-to-play-in-china/?hpt=ias_c2