BEIJING — Saudi Arabia inaugurated its pavilion at the Beijing International Book Fair 2024 as the guest of honor for this year's edition, which is being held from June 19 to 23 in the Chinese capital to highlight the Saudi cultural aspect to the Chinese public. The Kingdom's participation in the book fair also aims to promote investment opportunities in the country and the exceptional advantages and incentives they bring, especially in the cultural sector. The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will also participate in the event along with a group of cultural entities represented by the Heritage Commission, the Culinary Arts Commission, the Ministry of Investment, King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archive, King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, King Abdulaziz Public Library, and Saudi Publishing Society. The CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, Dr. Muhammad Alwan, confirmed that Saudi Arabia's participation comes from the standpoint of enhancing historical dialogue between cultures, confirming the ties of friendship between the two countries, and enriching areas of cooperation in literature and arts, indicating that the Commission and its partners seek to present Saudi Arabia in a way that highlights its stock of knowledge as well as the country's cultural heritage, in addition to introducing the Chinese public to local intellectual production and creative national talents. He pointed out that the exhibition constitutes a supportive opportunity for the book and publishing industry, within the framework of the Ministry of Culture's keenness to promote international cultural exchange as one of the goals of the National Strategy for Culture in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The Kingdom's pavilion will also include, for five days, a diverse cultural program that includes seminars and dialogue sessions evoking Saudi culture, in addition to seminars on the Arabic language and methods of teaching it to non-native speakers, a special display of books, manuscripts and artifacts discovered within the territory, and a live performance of traditional performing arts. A special night will be held for a Saudi dinner that includes Saudi performing arts and the presentation of local dishes from various regions of the Kingdom. In addition to the pavilion's activities, there will be a special display of a variety of Saudi fashion, and a pillar of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China, to create diversity that enriches the experience of visitors from various segments of Chinese and international society and introducing them to Saudi culture in all its aspects. The Beijing International Book Fair was launched in 1986 by the China National Publications Import and Export Group. It is the second-largest book fair in the world, and the most influential in China and the Asian continent, with the participation of more than 2,600 exhibitors from 100 countries.
