Sorry to throw this back at you, but now I think -you- are making a really flawed argument here. Let's talk about what censorship actually is. Censorship is when something is suppressed because of rules from an authority. So when a filmmaker makes a movie, if the studio does a focus test and decides the audiences don't really like the ending and force the filmmaker to change it, that is censorship. It doesn't matter what the audience wants, the filmmaker is being censored by the authority the studio has over the film. That already happens all the time. It doesn't just affect blockbusters. By saying that appealing to a wider audience is fine and expected, you have already ignored censorship concerns and gone down the dangerous road. Before it has anything to do with China.
As long as studios control films, the censorship you fear is there. Not wanting to cast a person of color as a lead character because of the fear of reduced appeal? Wanting a happier ending for a film because it might go over with mainstream audiences more? Editing something to make it easier to understand? Changing plot elements to not offend Muslims or Christians? This all already happens and has happened for ages.
Studios make the decision to pursue foreign gross to pump up their earnings. They are the ones making films to appeal to China to break into the market to make more money. China isn't forcing them to do it. China would actually be more than happy if the only successful films in the Chinese market are films from China. More money for them.
