The Chinese government has donated 15,000 books valued at about two million yuan (US$240,960) to more than 40 major libraries in nearly 20 countries in the past three years, according to the State Council Information Office.

The government decided to donate the newly published books and picture albums to foreign libraries in 2002 in order to let more foreigners know more about China.

"Readers in Russia, the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Australia can easily learn Chinese history, politics, economics, culture and latest news about China in their national or major university libraries," said an official of the office.

"These well-decorated books and picture albums were welcome by all foreign libraries, which seldom bought expensive Chinese books in the past," the official said.

China donated more than 500 books to the George Bush Presidential Library during former Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the US in 2002, and donated another 333 to the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in 2004.

China's Education Ministry and China's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language have annually selected at least 10 foreign institutes of Sinology as donees of books since 2003, including Cambridge University, Moscow University, Lyons University and Zurich University.

Chinese publishers also presented books to some international book exhibitions in Moscow, Frankfurt and Paris. Many were donated to local, national or university libraries.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2005)