The booth for China Books, an online bookstore jointly launched by Amazon and China International Book Trading Corporation (CIBTC), gained great popularity at the BookExpo America on May 28, the second day of the international book fair held in New York.

Wu Shangzhi (R), vice administrator of China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, listens to a briefing on China Books on Amazon given by Zhu Xiaojie, vice general manager of China International Book Trading Corporation, on May 28 at the BookExpo America in New York City. [Photo by Yan Pei / China.org.cn]

 

Many fans of China-themed books came to the exhibition especially to check out new publications offered by CIBTC, saying that they have experienced the convenience of buying Chinese books through China Books on Amazon. These readers promised that they would spread the news about China Books to their friends and said they hoped that the prices of books sold on China Books would be the same as those in China.

During the day, a senior delegation from China headed by Wu Shangzhi, vice administrator of China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and Amazon's global vice president Elaine Chang came to visit the booth.

Wu noted that the cooperation between CIBTC and Amazon has been "fruitful" and acknowledged CIBTC's efforts to promote Chinese books in international markets. He said such online promotion of China-themed books is bound to have a great potential, given both Amazon and CIBTC are influential book agents, although they tend to approach the book business in different ways.

Fang Zhenghui, vice president of China International Publishing Group, CIBTC’s parent company, said CIPG will address the current difficulties and problems in CIBTC's joint venture with Amazon per the SAPPRFT's requirements and expectations. CIBTC vice general manager Zhu Xiaojie, who was also at the booth, confidently said that those "difficulties and problems" are both "temporary" and solvable, and they will not interrupt the store’s continuous operation.