Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation Strengthens Partnerships With Chinese Cultural Entities

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Publishers Association. Under the terms of the agreement the foundation -who works to extend bridges of knowledge and co-operation between the Arab region and the rest of the world – will work with the association to organise a series of cultural initiatives and events aimed at strengthening relations between the Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates.

The signing of the MoU occurred during the visit of a delegation to the foundation by the Shandong Publishing Group, one of China’s largest and fastest growing publishing operations. During the meeting the representatives from the two sides examined ways of developing their respective printing and publishing sectors and discussed details of the foundation’s second participation at the Beijing International Book Fair 2018, which takes place August 22-26.

Included in the opportunities explored to further enhance knowledge and cultural exchange were the enriching of Arabic content in Chinese publications through translation, the organising of cultural events and activities, and methods for the foundation to benefit from the expertise of Shandong Publishing Group in the fields of digital printing and publishing.

His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of MBRF, stressed the deep cultural and historical relations between the UAE and China, pointing out that the two sides not only enjoy strong ties, they also share the same experience of having a long-standing cultural and knowledge heritage. He reaffirmed their mutual commitment to promoting cultural dialogue among civilisations.

“The Shandong Publishing Group and the Chinese Publishers Association are important entities in the field of knowledge and publishing in the Republic of China. By strengthening our partnership with them the foundation will be able to consolidate its leading global role in knowledge dissemination and production. It will contribute significantly to highlighting the rich culture of Chinese civilisation in our Arab societies through the exchange of Arabic and Chinese books and through the implementation of specific projects in the fields of digital publishing and audio-visual books,” His Excellency remarked.

The terms of the MoU will see the entities cooperating on Arabic and Chinese two-way translations, as well as strengthening of Dubai Digital Library with Chinese books and publications. The agreement will also see collaboration in the writer exchange category of the Dubai International Program for Writing, as well as cooperation in other areas.

Shandong Publishing resulted from a reorganisation of the main line of businesses and assets of Shandong Publishing Group. The multimedia company runs a broad range of business operations, including editing, printing, distribution, material supplies, domestic and international trades and new forms of publication, such as digital publishing.

Shandong Publishing & Media has 11 subsidiary publishing companies, including nine book publishing houses, one electronic audio and video publishing house, and one digital publishing company. Annually, the organisation publishes over 10,000 titles, with a total of around 300 million copies in print. The company’s annual book sales exceed more than one billion copies (including DVD and CD).