LOS ANGELES, Oct 31 (AFP) - China has cut ties to three major Hollywood studios, angered by films focusing on human rights problems in China and the Asian giant's treatment of Tibet, the Los Angeles Times said Friday.

The Times said China's Film Industry Administration Bureau has ordered a halt to movie imports and co-production ventures of films and television series with Disney, Columbia TriStar part of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM).

The films at the heart of the dispute are Jean-Jacques Annaud's "Seven Years in Tibet" which opened three weeks ago "Red Corner," starring Tibet activist Richard Gere, and "Kundun," a Martin Scorsese movie expected in December.

"Taking up Tibet and human rights issues, those films viciously attack China (and) hurt Chinese people's feelings," according to a memo from the Chinese Ministry of Radio, Film and Television that was cited by the daily.

"Although the matter has been taken up by the Chinese parties concerned, and all kinds of efforts have been made, those three American companies are still pushing out (these) films. We must maintain sharp vigilance," the memo said.

"Seven Years in Tibet," which stars Brad Pitt, and "Kundun" deal with the communist Chinese 1959 invasion and occupation of Tibet and the life of the country's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

In "Red Corner," Gere plays an American businessman framed for murder.

The daily said that Chinese officials had contacted MGM last week in a bid to delay the release of "Red Corner" until after Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States.

Jiang is scheduled to arrive here Saturday, the last stop on his historic tour.

"We can confirm that a meeting took place at which Chinese officials expressed their concerns," an MGM spokesman told the Times. "We can offer no further comment beyond that."

Officials from all three studios mentioned in the Chinese memorandum told the daily they had no knowledge of the break in relations.

"Our position is that we will continue to do business as before with them," Tony Manne, Columbia TriStar's vice president of international marketing and distribution, told the Times. "We'll continue to offer them our films."