The 18th Hangzhou Cultural and Creative Industry Expo opened on Thursday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Experts and international exhibitors at the expo shared the opinion that a thriving cultural industry will help provide new impetus for the economy and bolster global communication and cooperation amid growing uncertainties around the world.

The cultural sector will become a driving force for economic development, according to Xiong Chengyu, director of the National Research Center for Cultural Industries at Tsinghua University, who made the remarks during the expo's opening ceremony.

"Faced with a slew of challenges presented by the current complex and severe economic environment, investing in and lending policy support to the cultural industry will create new jobs and economic activities," Xiong said.