Press to publish more Chinese books in Arabic

President Xi Jinping's The Governance of China in Chinese, Arabic and English is displayed at the book exhibition in Cairo, which was held by China Intercontinental Press on 19th January. [Photo by Hou Liqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's leading foreign language press is making more efforts to promote cultural exchanges between China and Arab world using of both traditional media and new media as the Chinese government carries out its Belt and Road Initiative.

While translating and publishing Chinese books into Arabic, China Intercontinental Press has also built up a digital platform on Arabic books.

In 2013, the Chinese government put forwarded the Belt and Road Initiative, which includes most Arabic countries.

"The initiative meets well with our work in the Arabic countries," said China Intercontinental Press.

As of January, the press has published more than 120 varieties of Arabic books featured with Chinese and has authorized Arabic publishers to publish more than 130 varieties of books in Arabic in the last two years.

"With the press' work in the Arab world, it has built up contacts with Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon and so on. With this advantage, it built up a digital platform on Arabic books in the end of 2014," China Intercontinental Press said.

According to China Intercontinental Press, it has reached agreements with 70 percent of publishers in digital publishing industries of the Arabic world and has been authorized to publish 6,500 varieties of books on its digital platform.

In May 2014, with the Arab Publisher Associations, China Intercontinental Press launched a translation project that will translate books of each side. China Intercontinental Press has translated and published five Arabic literary classics in China and translated five Chinese books into Arabic.

China Intercontinental Press also plans to publish another 100 varieties of books featured with Chinese contents in the following three years.

Jing Xiaomin, vice-president of China Intercontinental Press, told China Daily that the press will put fixed bookshelves in bookstores in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates for its publications that have been translated into Arabic to help Arabic people get to know China.