Chinese publishers bring titles to Frankfurt

From left:Du Chuangui, general manager of Guangdong-based Southern Publishing and Media Co Ltd; Helga Zepp-LaRouche, president of Schiller Institute in Germany; Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce; and Xiao Fenghua, president of Guangdong People's Publishing House pose at the Frankfurt book fair on Wednesday after attending a seminar on the Belt and Road Initiative. [Photo by Fu Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Up to 70 Chinese publishing houses have brought more than 2,000 titles to the five-day Frankfurt book fair, which was kicked off by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday night.

The books exhibited by Chinese publishers have focused mainly on those introductory publications on the Communist Party of China, which will hold its 19th Congress on Oct 18, and on China's latest social and economic developments. In the China publication exhibition areas, dozens of activities on copyright transfers, book launches and seminars on various topics have been arranged.

Famous writer Jia Pingwa's work The Lantern Bearer, a novel on the transformation of a Chinese rural village, by a grassroots woman officer, was published on Wednesday. Guangdong People's Publishing House also launched A New Code for Common Peace and Prosperity, which has explained how China and the EU could deepen cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative.

Romano Prodi, a former European Commission president and Italian prime minister, has highly recommended the book. On the book's back cover, he is quoted as saying:"The thought-provoking book has testified that the initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, is a both economic and political project, which could help achieve common peace and prosperity across the massive land of Eurasia."

Prodi continued:"This is our shared dream and destiny."

When launching the book, the publishing house arranged a seminar to discuss the theme that the initiative could offer new engines for China and the European Union to develop bilateral relations in the coming years.

"On the occasion of the fourth anniversary of President Xi's coming up with the Belt and Road Initiative, we found it extremely important to launch this book and further discuss how China and the EU could tap the potential to boost connectivity," said Du Chuangui, general manager of Southern Publishing and Media Co Ltd in Guangdong.

Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said it is of great importance to discuss the Belt and Road Initiative, which could offer people in different sectors ample development opportunities.

"For example, many chances need to be explored by Europeans in cultural and publishing sectors to set up contacts with their Chinese counterparts," said Dewit, whose organization is based in Brussels.

But Dewit said the European side, especially those from European Union headquarters, should invest more time and energy to seek synergies with the Chinese side to explore the opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"I hope, with the incentives and momentum offered by the initiative, both sides could sign the bilateral investment treaty in the coming five years," Dewit said.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche, president of the Schiller Institute in Germany said the Belt and Road Initiative is the most important global public good for the common development of humanity, but the Western media have not realized its significance fully.

"This initiative is already changing the world in terms of its magnitude of infrastructure construction," Zeppa-LaRouche said. "It has already ignited the hopes and dreams for other developing countries."