Saudi Arabia shines at Beijing book fair

Saudi Arabia has taken center stage as guest of honor at the Beijing International Book Fair, with the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation between the Kingdom and China a highlight of the event.

The award, launched in March by the Saudi Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Farhan, aims to foster cultural cooperation and exchange between the two nations. It is divided into two categories: the cultural elite and the youth, and covers various cultural and creative fields.

A cultural seminar introducing the award was held on the sidelines of the five-day fair, which ends on Sunday. Abdul Mohsen bin Salem Al-Aqeeli, secretary-general of the award, and Fu Ji Min, dean of the faculty of languages at Peking University, took part in the seminar.

According to a statement, the award is founded on the values of openness, cultural exchange, diversity, and conscious understanding of human commonalities, and aims to invest in the rich human, symbolic, and material heritage that both countries possess.

The nomination process for the award has begun, and candidates are encouraged to apply.

The Saudi pavilion at the book fair featured a five-day cultural program, including seminars, panel discussions, displays of books, manuscripts, and archaeological artifacts, live traditional performances, and a special Saudi dinner night.

More than 1,600 exhibitors from 71 countries and regions took part in the fair, which showcased 220,000 Chinese and foreign publications.

The Beijing International Book Fair, launched in 1986, and organized by the China National Publications Import and Export Corporation, is believed to be the second-largest book fair globally, behind Frankfurt.