BEIJING -- Lawmakers have called for more efforts to boost the comprehensive development of the cultural industry while hailing achievements made in improving cultural products and industry.

A report on cultural industry development was submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for review at the ongoing bimonthly session.

Li Rui, a lawmaker, said that cultural enterprises in western China should be fostered and large state-owned cultural groups should be encouraged to invest and develop in China's western regions.

Lawmaker Lyu Shiming suggested that public cultural services should pay more attention to vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, and accessibility facilities should also be improved.

Traditional Chinese culture should be promoted, said Zhuo Xinping, an NPC deputy, during panel discussions.

"China has different cultures with global influence, such as Confucian culture, Taiji culture and Shaolin culture. We can increase the influence of Chinese culture," he said.

China's cultural industry has been making increasing contributions to the country's national economy, and proved itself as a new engine to economic growth, according to the report.

In 2018, China produced over 1,000 movies and the country's box office raked in 60.9 billion yuan (about 9 billion U.S. dollars) last year, it said.

The report also showed that China sees growing cultural trade, with the total foreign trade volume of cultural products and services reached 137 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, up 8.3 percent from 2017.