Chinese publishers have become more active and more
professional, the Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair Juergen Boos
said in Frankfurt on Friday.
"At the Frankfurt Fair we can see more and more Chinese
publishers. Their exhibition areas are expanding and more books are
exhibited," said Boos in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News
Agency.
Boos, who has years of experience in the Frankfurt book fair,
said Chinese publishers used to wait for guests several years ago,
but now they became "aggressive" and "very professional" in
negotiations on copyrights, imports and exports.
"The copyright-trade volumes of the Chinese publishing industry
are increasing year on year, which is a strong sign," he said.
In the Frankfurt Book Fair last year, Chinese publishers reached
over 1,300 agreements and MOUs on copyrights trade.
However, Boos said that compared to China's increasing economic
and political influence in the international arena, there is still
a long way to go for Chinese publishers to promote Chinese culture
in the Western world.
"Because Western people are far from familiar with Chinese
culture and history, it will take many years to make a change.
Therefore, it is of vital significance for the Chinese publishing
industry to march into the international market," he said.
In order to make more Chinese publications enter the Western
world, Chinese publishers should strike more comprehensive and
steady contacts and network with their Western counterparts, Boos
said.
"An effective network is vital for Chinese publishers to brave
the fierce competition in Europe and America," he said.
Boos proposed that more Chinese works be translated, citing that
the German government has provided huge funds to translate German
books into foreign languages.
He also proposed that Chinese publishers make every effort to
promote the popularity of Chinese writers, such as inviting Chinese
writers to read their works in the Frankfurt fair, a practice
European publishers usually follow.
"I went to China 15 years ago, I attended the Beijing
International Book Fair six times and I went every year for the
past three years," said Boos, who headed the organizing body of
Frankfurt Book Fair three years ago.
He revealed that the Frankfurt Book Fair will set up an office
in Beijing to strengthen contacts with Chinese publishers.
China has also been selected as a "guest of honor" for the
Frankfurt Book Fair in 2009, which Boos said he was "looking
forward to very much."
"In the economic aspect, we hope Chinese publishers will then do
more business with international partners; in the cultural aspect,
I hope a new image of China will be shown here, and politically, we
hope Frankfurt can help the Western world learn more about changes
of China, and lose their prejudice against China," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2007)