International book fair kicks off in Beijing

The 19th Beijing International Book Fair kicked off on Wednesday drawing 2,010 publishing companies from 75 countries and regions to the capital to celebrate reading and cultural exchanges.

The 19th Beijing International Book Fair kicks off in Beijing on Aug 29, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

About 1,000 events will be held until Sunday in this year's edition of the fair, which is the biggest ever.

Nineteen countries have set up individual pavilions on the fair, one of the world's largest events of the publishing industry.

Zhang Jichen, a member of the fair's organizing committee, said that the BIBF's increasing influence is a result of the deep connections between the Chinese publishing industry and the world.

Zhang said the fair aims to boost the publishing business and offer a platform for copyright trade and cultural exchanges between countries. This year, the fair will welcome speakers such as Steve Rosato, Event Director of Book Expo America, to share experiences of organizing the book gathering across the Pacific.

"More and more professionals from other countries use the BIBF as a platform to introduce their businesses to the world," Zhang said.

For Chinese publishers, the fair is a convenient way to reach a global audience, Zhang added.

"It's a festival we've been expecting," said He Yaoming, president of Renmin University Press, on Wednesday.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Republic of Korea, the fair features the latter as the country of honor. Thirteen writers from Korea are set to exchange views with their Chinese counterparts.

"The two countries will enjoy a closer partnership, which has always been based on trust, ever since the diplomatic ties were established," said Hyung-Doo Yoon, president of the Korean Publishers Association.