A new resource to understand the rich but complex China-U.S. relationship will be available to readers when a book containing the thoughts of prominent personalities on the issue hits the shelves.

As the 26th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) opened in the capital on August 21, Chinese publishing house New World Press (NWP), an affiliate of the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), signed a contract with U.S. education and technology company Cengage to publish 40 on 40: Four Decades of Evolving Sino-U.S. Relations.

An AR magnifying glass developed by the China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corp. on display at the BIBF on August 21 (SHI GANG)

The book includes interviews with 40 prominent Chinese and U.S. politicians and academics, such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai and Chinese political scientist Wang Jisi.

"Through the perspectives of the 40 people, readers will gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the complicated relationships of these two powers and develop their own thoughts on the overflow of bilateral relations," Alexander Broich, President of Cengage Global Businesses, said.

The NWP also signed contracts with Albanian publishing house Fan Noli and Arab Scientific Publishers from Lebanon to establish editorial departments in the two countries, taking the number of its overseas editorial departments to 14.

CIPG, founded the same year as the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, has published over 80,000 titles in more than 40 languages, which have been distributed in over 180 countries and regions over the past seven decades.

Lu Cairong, CIPG Vice President, said as the largest international publishing group in China, CIPG has presented China to the rest of the world in multiple languages, using media platforms including books, magazines, the Internet and social media.

"Establishing overseas editorial departments is an effective way of promoting China-themed books abroad," Lu added.

As more and more books about China's history, culture and economy, along with Chinese TV dramas and films, are introduced overseas, they have enabled foreign audiences to better understand China, Ahmed Mohamed Elsaid Soliman, President of Wisdom House Cultural Investment Co. in Egypt, said at a forum on China's international publishing held two days ahead of the opening of the BIBF.

As a major outcome of the forum, a publishing cooperation mechanism was established between CIPG affiliates and their counterparts in over 20 countries with the aim of promoting cultural exchanges.

In addition to international copyright cooperation, advanced technology also featured prominently at the BIBF. Products supported by 5G technology were displayed at the fair for the first time.

Participants take a group photo at a forum on China's international publishing in Beijing on August 19 (ZHOU LIN)

At the booth of the China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corp., software for learning the guqin, a zither-like seven-stringed Chinese musical instrument, was on display. It was developed by the corporation and Chinese telecom operator China Unicom. Users can play the instrument on a mobile terminal with the help of 5G and augmented reality (AR) technologies.

The booth also displayed an AR magnifying glass. When held before an image in a book, it can produce a 3D image or a related film clip.

This year's BIBF saw 2,600 publishing houses from 95 countries and regions take part with more than 300,000 titles.

The nearly 1,000 activities included an exhibition on China's publishing industry since the founding of the PRC, and an exhibition themed on the Olympic Winter Games 2022 to promote winter sports. China will host the games in Beijing and Zhangjiakou in the north.

An exhibition on the Central Axis—the roughly 8-km symbolic line along Beijing's historical center—showcased the capital's achievement in preserving its historical architecture.

Romania was the guest of honor this year, while Portugal and Pakistan made their debut. The UK had 88 booths, the most among foreign countries, while the exhibition area for the United States, the Republic of Korea, France and Japan expanded.

A booth for Macao was set up for the first time to show the special administrative region's history and culture as well as its social progress since its return to the motherland 20 years ago.

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar

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