China Book International reaches new heights

The State Council Information Office joined hands with General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television in sponsoring the publishers with translation and business promotion fees. Together the two organizations operate the CBI office.

"In the past decade, CBI has helped to reduce the deficit in the country's copyright trade with other countries. Now the ratio of book imports to exports is 1.76 to 1 in 2013," said Wu Shulin, vice minister of the administration.

"And we have more quality books, which tell good stories about Chinese wisdom, Chinese culture and explains contemporary Chinese social and political thoughts, read by mainstream western audiences," Wu said.

CBI strengthened publishing children's books abroad in 2013, as it includes China Children's Press and Publication Group as a new CBI member.

And as an important new measure, besides supporting merely Chinese publishers, it will start to sponsor foreign publishers who have been promoting Chinese books and their influence in the global market this year, according to Wu. Interested foreign publishers of Chinese titles may apply.

CBI will also place emphasis in helping publishers to present key titles that have the potential to be popular and influential, as well as seizing the chance to merge traditional publishing with new media, as stated in their plans for 2014.