Beijing int'l cultural, creative industry expo opens

An exhibitor shows modern costumes of Peking Opera at the 12th China Beijing International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo (ICCIE) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 11, 2017. The expo kicked off here on Monday,attracting more than 1800 exhibitors.(Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang)

The China (Beijing) International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo (ICCIE), the 12th ever to be held in the city, opened Monday.

During the three-day event, more than 80 delegations will attend over 100 activities including exhibitions, forums and trade promotions to facilitate cultural cooperation between China and foreign countries.

"The ICCIE has become an important platform for sharing resources of cultural and creative industries and unleash the vitality of industrial innovation," said Zhang Hongsen, deputy head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).

For Beijing, the cultural and creative industry has become a pillar industry, as statistics show that the sector's added value was more than 357 billion yuan (around 55 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016, which was 14.3 percent of local GDP.

"The city is opening a new chapter to build itself into the country's cultural center," said Du Feijin, head of Beijing's publicity bureau.

The event is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, SAPPRFT and the municipal government of Beijing.