China to Develop International Publishing 　　Yang Zhengquan, director of the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), said in Beijing on July 14 that the country intends to hasten the development of international publishing and adopt advanced computer network technology to provide readers worldwide with a greater understanding of China. 　　Yang, also deputy-director of the Information Office of the State Council, said at a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the CIPG that China is facing a good opportunity to promote itself in foreign countries. 　　"The CIPG will make greater effort to carry out its goal -- providing the world with a better understanding of China and making China more open to the world," he said. 　　As a bridge of cultural exchange connecting China and rest of the world, the CIPG initiated copyright trade and cooperation with foreign counterparts in 1980, and has so far conducted a variety of international copyright transactions. 　　The CIPG ranks first among China's publishing organizations in terms of copyright trade with foreign countries, while many books printed by the CIPG have entered major publishing and issuing markets in Japan, the United States, and European countries. 　　The Chinese, English, and French versions of "Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting", the first book in the collection " Chinese Culture and Civilization" which was jointly published by the CIPG and the Yale University Publishing House in the United States, won the top award given by the American Booksellers Association last year. 　　The major activities of the CIPG are the translation, publishing, printing and issuing of books and journals in foreign languages. These books include those on traditional Chinese culture and the country's current circumstances, as well works of the world-famous Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yun. 　　During the past 20 years, the publishing group has also issued a series of books about Deng Xiaoping's theory and works, the country's reform and opening up, and the Chinese people's current life. Many of these books have aroused the interest of and have been warmly received by foreign readers worldwide. 　　Since 1950, the group has established many journals in foreign languages, including "People's China," "China Pictorial," "Chinese Literature," "China Today," "Beijing Review," and "China-Africa." These magazines provide a wide range of information about policies and regulations, economic construction, business and trade, opening up and reform, culture and art, and life and people. 　　To date, the CIPG has published and issued over one billion books in 180 countries and regions worldwide, of which 200 million are in foreign languages, according to Yang. 　　Now, CIPG's information published is available for Internet users who visit its website "China Internet Information Center," the largest information network in China, the official added. 　　Zhao Qizheng, director of the Information Office of the State Council, expressed his best wishes on the 50th anniversary of the CIPG's founding while attending today's celebration. (Xinhua) HomeNews 1999-07-15 Page4 Full Story in Chinese