On June 19, Mao Yuansheng, President of China Publishing Group, visited the Turkish Cultural Center in Beijing at the latter’s invitation for an exchange and discussion with Eyüp Sarıtas, Director of the Center; Haluk Hepkon, President of Türkiye’s Kırmızı Kedi Publishing House; and Giray Fidan, a sinologist and professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University. The delegation also included Zhang Hong, Vice President of China Publishing Group; Li Hongwen, Executive Director of China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation; and Ren Jiangzhe, Executive Director of Xinhua Bookstore Head Office. The two sides held in-depth consultations on issues including the reciprocal establishment of China-Türkiye themed bookshelves and the mutual translation and publication of Chinese and Turkish works, reaching multiple consensus on cooperation.

Mao Yuansheng noted that China and Türkiye share geographical proximity, cultural affinity, and a long history of cultural exchanges. Publishing, as a vital vehicle for the dissemination of civilizations and cultural connectivity, serves as a core bridge for China-Türkiye people-to-people cooperation. The Turkish guests present are all good friends and long-standing partners of China Publishing Group, and key allies in jointly advancing the “Going Global” initiative of Chinese culture, having done much valuable work in deepening mutual cultural trust between the two sides. China Publishing Group will join hands with the Turkish Cultural Center to continuously broaden the dimensions of cooperation, with book displays, mutual translation of works, and reciprocal participation in book fairs as entry points, and to carry out publishing exchange activities on a regular and targeted basis, jointly creating a distinctive model of China-Türkiye mutual learning among civilizations.

The two sides plan to leverage the quality resources of Xinhua Bookstore Head Office to set up themed bookshelves in a dedicated area of the Turkish Cultural Center, where Chinese-language publications on Turkish themes will be displayed, exhibited, and promoted. These efforts aim to present Turkish history, culture, customs, and distinctive cultural content from multiple perspectives, build an intuitive bridge for China-Türkiye cultural understanding, and enrich the channels for people-to-people connectivity. Regarding mutual translation and publication cooperation between Chinese and Turkish works, China Publishing Group will select premium Turkish books of both cultural value and communication significance for publication and distribution in the Chinese market, thereby enriching the Group’s portfolio of quality publications. At the same time, the Group will promote the translation and export of its outstanding works into Turkish, telling China’s stories well to Turkish audiences, and achieving two-way exchange and mutual enrichment of outstanding cultural works between China and Türkiye.