On June 19, during the 31st Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), the 2025 Beijing International Publishing Forum was held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. Wu Shulin, Chairman of the Publishers Association of China, delivered a keynote speech. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations, and Huang Zhijian, Chairman of China Publishing Group Co., Ltd., delivered remarks. Chinese and international experts from publishing, technology, and other fields discussed the theme “New Quality Productive Forces and Global Publishing Cooperation,” exploring new models of mutually beneficial global publishing cooperation amid the integration and coexistence of the publishing industry and artificial intelligence technologies.

During his speech, Huang Zhijian noted that the world is currently undergoing a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, reshaping industry ecosystems—including publishing—at an unprecedented speed and scale. To navigate this transformative era, the publishing industry needs the wisdom to recognize changes, the strategies to adapt to them, and the courage to drive innovation, while building platforms, strengthening dialogue, and seeking collaborative growth. As the source and cornerstone of China’s publishing industry and the country’s largest group in both general and professional publishing, China Publishing Group Co., Ltd. has pioneered innovative efforts in the integration of publishing and technology. The Group has introduced new cultural products and services and nurtured multiple cultural-tech enterprises with significant growth potential. Moving forward, the Group will continue to draw on its content strengths, work hand in hand with global partners, and harness the engine of new quality productive forces to inject fresh momentum into the global publishing sector and create new opportunities for win-win cooperation.

Participants emphasized that books serve as bridges for cross-civilizational exchanges, while new technologies act as critical enablers of international collaboration. From digital publishing to AI applications, emerging technologies are reshaping the industry ecosystem, and thus the global publishing community should jointly promote the balanced development of technological innovation and copyright protection, collaboratively foster an innovative ecosystem, and advance the sustainable development of the industry, said the participants.

While technological advancements enhance efficiency, they also present challenges such as copyright protection and the digital divide. Participants recommended leveraging new quality productive forces as the driving force to inject innovative momentum into the high-quality development of the global publishing industry. They proposed deepening global publishing cooperation by establishing international technical standards, optimizing resource sharing, and innovating copyright collaboration models, with the goal of collectively building an open and inclusive global publishing ecosystem.

The forum was hosted by the Publishers Association of China, China Publishing Group Co., Ltd., and the Beijing Municipal Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and undertaken by the China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Co., Ltd.