Senior officials and insiders are suggesting a robust growth in China’s cultural and creative industry. The comments are made during the ongoing Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo.

Yu Changxiang is an official with the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. He points out the cultural and creative industries in China have made huge economic contributions recently.

    "The print and media trade, and radio, film and television industry has been witnessing a prosperous development and earning a business revenue exceeding two trillion yuan in 2012. Meanwhile, from the global perspective, all other nations are working hard to develop their cultural and creative industries and also seeking bilateral cooperation."

China is trying to increase its contribution to the culture sector of the national economy. According to the Ministry of Culture, the output of the industry strives to account for 5 percent of China’s gross domestic product in 2016. To reach this target, both the central and local governments have mapped out their goals of cultural development in the coming years.

Hou Yulan, deputy secretary-general of the expo’s organizing committee, is also an official with the Beijing municipal government. She has announced Beijing’s target in local cultural and creative industries’ development.

    "Under our planning, the added value of Beijing’s cultural and creative industries would double by 2015, striving to take up 15 percent of the city’s GDP. We aim to build cultural and creative industries into a strategic backbone for the local economy."

Anita Huss-Ekerhult is Deputy Secretary General of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations, She says copyright protection is crucial in the development of cultural and creative industries.

    "A well-functioning copyrights system plays a central role in sustaining the creative industries. The creative industries, in turn, are vital in sustaining national culture and cultural identity. The world intellectual property organization made a summary of its studies concluding that in highly-developed economies: the contribution of copyright industries to both GDP and employment is high: 10-percent GDP and 8-percent employment in the case of Australia."

In addition, professionals in cultural companies say China should learn from other nations.