Events for China as guest of honor on Kuala Lumpur int'l book fair kick off in Malaysia

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (R) visits the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th KLIBF was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) was held here on Saturday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Zhang Jianchun, Malaysian Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek and Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing attended the event at the World Trade Center Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar, accompanied by Zhang, visited the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor. The Malay edition of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China", and that of a collection of Chinese President Xi Jinping's selected articles, as well as a comprehensive collection of ancient Chinese paintings were introduced to the Malaysian prime minister.

This is the first time that China is invited as a guest of honor to participate in ASEAN countries' international book fairs. About 10,000 books in number are on display, including those on China's development achievements during the past decade of the new era and on China's traditional culture, as well as the multilingual versions of Chinese classic books co-published by publishing houses in China and ASEAN countries.

More than 150 representatives from over 30 publishing institutions of China participated in the book fair, during which China and Malaysia will host more than 30 cultural exchange activities. Chinese writers including Liu Zhenyun and scholars including Kang Zhen will connect with Malaysian readers at the book fair.

Also on Saturday, the China-ASEAN Forum on Cultural Exchanges and Cooperation was held in the Malaysian capital.

The forum themed "New Opportunities in China-ASEAN Civilization Communication and Cooperation" was attended by more than 300 people including officials, renowned writers, scholars and publishers from both China and Malaysia.

The KLIBF, an important cultural feast in Malaysia, was launched in 1981. This year's fair opened on Friday and will last for 10 days.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (2nd L) visits the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th KLIBF was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

People visit the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th KLIBF was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

People visit the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th KLIBF was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

People visit the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th KLIBF was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (C), deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Zhang Jianchun (2nd L) and Malaysian Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek (2nd R) attend the opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

People visit the exhibition area of China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2023. The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th KLIBF was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)