China has launched an ambitious marketing project that aims to promote its books and printed publications around the world in an effort to encourage more understanding, a General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) official said on Friday.

Customers browse through books at the Xinhua Bookstore in Flushing, Queens, New York. The outlet, which opened on Aug 1, 2008, was the chain's first overseas affiliate. [Xinhua]

The project will include cooperating with international and regional marketing networks and organizing book fairs for overseas Chinese bookstores, said Zhang Fuhai, director of GAPP's foreign exchange and cooperation department.

He said the project also calls for the exploration of online sales and the establishment of marketing networks through online book stores.

Efforts will also be made to promote the quality of Chinese books, Zhang said. The development of global sales of Chinese printed publications has been relatively slow compared with the rapid growth of interest in the nation's digital offerings.

According to Zhang, the sales of Chinese online games in overseas countries in 2009 reached US$109 million, a 53.9 percent year-on-year increase. At the same time, the sales overseas of Chinese printed publications was only US$20 million.

According to a recent agreement between a Shanghai-based publishing house and the Lagardre Group, a number of Chinese publications will soon be available through the French company's 3,174 network stores.

And GAPP is planning to optimize its resources abroad and use some 100 overseas Chinese bookstores in 27 counties to introduce popular Chinese texts to overseas readers.

Zhang said all of the new projects will start this year and are expected to help build up an international network of Chinese book suppliers during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period.

The marketing project will help overseas readers understand Chinese books and promote Chinese culture around the world, Zhang said.

"It's a big step in implementing the strategy of 'going global' for China," he added.

The concept of "going global" was raised by GAPP in 2003. It embodies China's determination to link its culture with the world and to let the international community find out more about China.

In July 2009, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued the first special regulation for the culture industry and emphasized the importance of ensuring Chinese publications are available around the world.

"For China, we don't have a systematic sales network abroad and our hardware hasn't been well-adjusted to fit into the electronic-commerce age," said Huang Hua, a copyright expert with the Beijing-based Wowa Media Company.

Huang applauded the planned increase in cooperation between Chinese publishing houses and international companies that already have sales networks. He said the idea is a great way to bring about the "going global" dream.

The latest push is not the first time that GAPP and Chinese publishing houses have sought international cooperation this year.

In early November, Sun Shoushan, GAPP's deputy chief, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pearson Group, a famous British publishing house that specializes in education. The cooperation aims to ensure more high-quality Chinese works will enter the global market thanks to the training of high-quality Chinese-to-English translation teams.

And a week later, Xinhua opened its sixth overseas bookstore - in New York - thanks to the efforts of the China National Publications Import and Export Corporation.

Huang said China's increasing interest in letting the world know about its culture is due in part to the country's increased importance on the world stage.

"The government is trying to dispel any misunderstandings around the world," said Huang, adding that the move indicates that China is seeking to take its responsibility seriously as a new international power.

(China Daily December 11, 2010)