The press conferene of 2024 BIBF Photo: Li Hao/GT

The 30th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), one of China's largest book fairs with global participation, is scheduled to start on June 19.

A press conference for the event was held on Thursday in Beijing, revealing that Saudi Arabia will be this year's guest of honor. The event aims to deepen mutual learning between civilizations and achieve mutual growth through cooperation.

The highlight of the upcoming event will be the Saudi Arabia booth, covering an area of 500 square meters and showcasing a total of 120 books across categories such as education, literature, and children's books.

PubTech, a newly designed sector of the event, will focus on discussions about the future development of the global publishing industry in the context of technology and AI backgrounds.

A total of 220,000 Chinese and foreign books will be displayed during the five-day event. The gala will host 1,600 on-site exhibitors from 71 countries worldwide, including long-term partners such as the UK, Italy, and Japan.

Among the 71 countries, 15 international exhibitors, including publishers from countries like Bangladesh, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and New Zealand, are participating in the event for the first time. The event is scheduled to conclude on June 23.