by Wang Xiaotong

BEIJING, Jun 21 (China Economic Net) – "China and Pakistan cooperate closely across all sectors, but there remains ample room to deepen bilateral publishing cooperation, as we have yet to carry out extensive joint work," said Daniyal Salam, Director of Head Office, Sales, Marketing & Editorial of Pakistan’s century-old publishing house Ferozsons (Pvt.) Ltd., on the sidelines of the 32nd Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF).

This year’s BIBF has attracted more than 1,700 exhibitors from 82 countries and regions, including over 1,100 overseas participants such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Cengage, Pearson and Wiley, creating a global platform for copyright negotiation and cultural industry communication. Ferozsons is the sole Pakistani publisher in attendance this year.

Over 1,100 overseas publishers attend the 2026 Beijing International Book Fair held June 17–21. [Photo/Wang Xiaotong]

While this marks the firm’s debut at BIBF, it has already translated around 45 Chinese children’s illustrated books into Urdu through partnerships with Chinese publishers including CITIC Press Group. “These short stories covering weather, seasons, food and Chinese culture are well received among Pakistani children,” Salam noted.

Meanwhile, Salam brought about fifty Pakistani titles to display at the fair, including a decades-old 10-volume Urdu classic bestseller newly translated into English, as he seeks potential copyright partners from China. “I believe that if this series is introduced here, it could be comparable to iconic series such as Harry Potter,” he said.

A glimpse of upcoming Pakistani titles on display at the 32nd BIBF. [Photo/Wang Xiaotong]

Salam identified insufficient exchanges between publishers of the two countries as the main obstacle to deeper cooperation, and called for government funding support for literary translation and reciprocal industry visits.

“Beyond books for children, we’re planning to bring more Chinese publications on politics and strategies to Pakistani readers within the next two to three years,” he revealed. Furthermore, he expressed interest in bringing China’s interactive reading robots to Pakistan’s printing and education sectors.

Released on September 4, 2025, the Action Plan to Foster an Even Closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future (2025–2029) advances literary translation, cross-border copyright collaboration, co-publishing and mutual participation in global book fairs. During Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s May visit, both sides agreed to implement cultural and educational exchange frameworks, paving the way for deeper cooperation between publishers of the two countries.