China International Publishing Group (CIPG) held an online conference to bring publishers worldwide together to mark the World Book and Copyright Day on April 23 in Beijing.

The worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made a huge impact on the global publishing industry, Du Zhanyuan, President of CIPG, said during the online book reading activity.

ut during the fight against the virus, people learned once again that reading could provide emotional comfort that helps gain confidence to overcome difficulties, he said.

International cooperation is the trend of the times and is the only way to solve problems, Du noted. CIPG is always willing to jointly explore new channels and models of international exchanges and cooperation during the epidemic prevention and control period, and promote the common development within the industry with the help of new technologies.

Xu Bu (front), President of the Foreign Languages Press affiliated to CIPG, reads a paragraph together with Adam Marszalek, President of Marszalek Publishing Group in Poland, through video connection on April 23 (COURTESY PHOTO)

According to Du, CIPG will hold the first China international online book fair in mid-July. The fair will be presented with 3D virtual reality technology to imitate the scene and function of offline physical book fairs, and provide the industry with a brand new platform for exchanges.

Lu Cairong, Vice President of CIPG, said that CIPG has made full use of online platforms during this hard period, and a series of activities such as online launch and signing ceremonies for new books on China's battle against the virus have been held.

The online book reading activity, with participation of some representatives from overseas editorial offices aims to make reading a habit for everyone so as to nurture people toward a brighter future, Lu added.

CIPG, over the past years, has established overseas editorial offices with 57 well-known publishing institutions in 33 countries, and formed a global alliance of Chinese bookstores. It is strengthening international publishing cooperation by expanding communication with libraries in countries along the Belt and Road routes.

The World Book and Copyright Day is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to promote reading, publishing, and copyright around the world.

(CGTN)