Book fair enriches China-Ecuador literary ties

Top Chinese and Ecuadorian culture ambassadors said on Wednesday that they hope that new Chinese books released in Spanish will help cultivate a better understanding of Chinese culture, politics and history among Ecuadorian readers.

Ecuador has an important place in Spanish literature, presenting many notable authors, and the book exhibition also brings noted Chinese authors, said Huang Kunming, executive deputy head of the Central Publicity Department.

The Spanish-language books - titles such as The Literature of China, The Political System of China and The Encyclopedia of Chinese Culture - will give readers a sense of Chinese politics, economics, culture and other facets of China in Spanish, Huang said, giving remarks at the 2016 Exhibition of Sale of Chinese Books.

The China-focused exhibition was part of a larger international book fair taking place at the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana in Quito, Ecuador.

Huang said that he hopes the literary exhibition can let Ecuadorian readers experience the depth of Chinese literature, and that he trusts that the exhibition will deepen literary cooperation between the two countries and deepen the overall relationship between China and Ecuador.

He also spotlighted the Spanish version of President Xi Jinping's The Governance of China as a book that offers a window into how he manages state affairs, his philosophies and his determination to reform the country. The book has already published more than 6 million copies across the world, he said.

Xi is set to arrive in Ecuador for a state visit on Thursday before he takes part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru this weekend.

Ral Vallejo, minister of culture and heritage of Ecuador and an author, said that the books are an opportunity for Ecuadorian readers to understand thousands of years' worth of Chinese history, and Xi's books presents a contemporary approach.

This exhibition showcases the potential of literary cooperation between China and Ecuador, he added.

"Under mutual cooperation and respect, we have a great opportunity to learn and succeed," he said.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com