Conference for Promoting International Translation and Publication Cooperation of Important Works Held in Beijing
On the morning of January 30, the Conference for Promoting International Translation and Publication Cooperation of Important Works was held in Beijing. Hosted by China International Communications Group (CICG) and organized by Foreign Languages Press (FLP), the event was attended by representatives of well-known publishers and research institutions from 20 countries, who were in Beijing to sign the memorandums of understanding on jointly translating and publishing the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in multiple languages. With a focus on the publication of important works of Chinese leaders for international communication, the representatives discussed and exchanged in-depth views on the characteristics of cooperative translation and publication based on their political and cultural backgrounds and readers’ needs in their countries, while also sharing their publishing experience and project progress.
▲The conference in session
Lu Cairong, vice president of CICG, attended the conference and delivered a speech.
▲Lu Cairong delivering a speech
In his speech at the conference, Lu highlighted that through the collective efforts of the Chinese team, overseas organizations, and international partners, Xi Jinping: The Governance of China has been published in 40 languages and distributed in 180 countries and regions. A phenomenon in international publishing, the book has opened a window for readers around the world to understand China’s new era.
He said that as the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, driven by accelerating changes on a scale unseen in a century, countries need to strengthen dialogue and enhance mutual trust more than ever before. He told the conference that international publishing cooperation serves as both a vehicle of cultural communication and a significant driving force for implementing the Global Civilization Initiative and promoting exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.
Calling for solid efforts in promoting the cooperative translation, publication, and distribution of the important works of Chinese leaders and bringing them to more parts of the world, Lu highlighted that books can serve as a medium to spread Chinese culture and build mutual understanding between nations and closer ties between peoples. To achieve this goal, he suggested giving full play to the International Publishing Cooperation Mechanism for China-themed Books – a platform for exchanges and cooperation in international publishing. The mechanism aims to further facilitate multidimensional cooperation in all links of publishing between Chinese and foreign publishers, and enhance the planning, translation, local publishing, and international marketing of China-themed books.
In his speech, the vice president also pointed to China’s rapid development in the new era as a treasure trove of stories. He called on international partners to plan and publish high-quality books surrounding this topic, while embracing the digital era and exploring diverse forms. Lu encouraged bilateral and multilateral cooperation on international publishing through the International Publishing Cooperation Mechanism for China-themed Books, which offers stable communication channels, both online and offline, for personnel exchanges, business communication, and knowledge sharing. He proposed an international network for cooperation between publishing think tanks to boost joint research and development of projects for international publishing.
Representatives of foreign publishers shared their insights at the conference.
▲Nguyen Hoai Anh delivering a speech
Nguyen Hoai Anh, vice president and deputy editor-in-chief of the National Political Publishing House of Vietnam, shared that as the political publishing institution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the publishing house had planned for and completed the translation and publication of the Vietnamese edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China with the highest level of caution and a strong sense of duty as it has always exhibited publishing important works by leaders of the CPV. The Vietnamese edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was reprinted in 2018 and 2021 to meet the demands of readers in Vietnam.
▲Medeea Negutescu delivering a speech
Medeea Negutescu, foreign rights manager of Corint Books SRL, pointed out that previous collaborations between Corint and FLP in recent years were well received by Romanian readers. Corint Books SRL is one of the best-known publishing company in Romania, and has worked alongside FLP to release a number of China-themed books in the Romanian language, including The Communist Party of China and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation in 100 Keywords, Shared Ideals: The Communist Party of China and Its Cherished Friends from Around the World, The Jewels in China’s Crown, and Chinese Values: Traditional Culture and Contemporary Values.
▲Kenneth Jumba delivering a speech
Kenneth Jumba, publishing manager of the Kenya Literature Bureau, stated that collaboration between Kenya and China on international translation and publication is about building bridges of understanding, fostering the exchange of ideas, and creating a pathway for mutual learning between civilizations. He highlighted that a growing number of Kenyan students are now studying Chinese, saying that the Kenya Literature Bureau intends to work closely with CICG to produce more China-themed books and literary works in the future.
▲The signing ceremony
A signing ceremony for admitting new members to the International Publishing Cooperation Mechanism for China-themed Books was also held during the conference. Representatives of publishers and research institutions from 13 countries, including the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bangladesh, Laos, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Afghanistan, Greece, and Nepal signed the papers to join the mechanism. Lu Cairong and other guests witnessed the signing.
Initiated by CICG in August 2019, the mechanism now has 14 Chinese and 22 overseas publishing institutions as members. It has helped open 81 overseas editorial offices for the publishing of China-themed books in 44 countries across five continents. More than 700 kinds of China-themed books have been published locally overseas, covering the world’s major countries in all regions.
▲ Hu Kaimin hosting the event
Xin Feng, director of the Coordination and Management Department of CICG; Liu Shuangyan, director of the International Cooperation Department of CICG; and Huang Wei, first-level inspector of the Coordination and Management Department of CICG joined the conference. FLP President Hu Kaimin presided over the meeting, with 60 people from FLP attending, including Editor-in-Chief Xu Rong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ding Zhitao, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Yu Ying, and Vice President Jia Qiuya.
