35th Beijing International Book Fair 2026: How BIBF is Strengthening Global Publishing Partnerships

Explore highlights from the 35th Beijing International Book Fair 2026 and how BIBF is fostering global publishing partnerships, copyright exchange, and cultural collaboration.
on Jul 13, 2026

The 35th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), which took place from 17-22 June 2026, once again demonstrated its status as one of the world’s top publishing conferences. Hosting more than 1,700 participants from 82 different countries and regions, among them Bangladesh, this fair became an excellent forum for publishers, writers, literary agents, rights experts and cultural organisations looking for collaboration possibilities.

During almost four decades of its history, BIBF managed to turn from a national publishing exhibition to the most international book fair in Asia. Nowadays, BIBF is not just a marketplace for books and publishing rights, but also an opportunity for cultural dialogue, translations and international collaboration.

Beyond Books: A Platform for Cultural Collaboration

Nowadays, publishing goes far beyond the printed matter, and BIBF showed it through numerous projects related to translations, co-publications, copyrights, meetings with authors and book readings.

Several leading international publishing organizations, such as Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Fischer, HarperCollins, Sage UK, and Springer, participated along with the publishers of all Asian, European, American, and African continents. These organizations underscored the ever-increasing role of China as a huge publishing market, as well as one of the important exporters of publishing content.

Furthermore, the exhibition allowed the demonstration of the rapid development of China's publishing sector, where the publishers have already shifted their attention not only to the domestic market but have been actively involved in copyright trading and have established long-lasting business partnerships with the publishing houses worldwide.

A Place of Emergence for Emerging Publishing Markets

Another remarkable feature of this year's book fair was the participation of publishers representing emerging markets. The publishers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka came to this fair in the name of Silk Road Club, supported by the non-profit international publishing cooperation organization Life Tree based in Beijing.

The organization was established in 2021 by Zhang Mingzhou, a former president of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).

Another highlight of BIBF was the exhibition organized by the Caribbean Collective Pavilion, which showcased over thirty titles from eight different island nations such as Jamaica and Barbados and thus demonstrated increasing diversity of voices in the international publishing world.

Expanding Publishing Partnerships at Ankur Prakashani

Ankur Prakashani, a company based in Bangladesh, has not been simply visiting BIBF for the last few years but has been developing successful partnerships with Chinese publishers in the field of book publishing.

The story started in 2024, when Ankur Prakashani concluded its first deal with Phoenix Juvenile & Children's Publishing Ltd. on acquisition of Bengali translation rights of six books from Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains – Me and Nature eco-picture book series. In 2025, these books were published in Bangladesh and were positively welcomed by local children.

Further expanding partnership between the two companies, they signed a new contract during BIBF 2026. According to it, Shining Youth Sports Picture Book series and selected children's books by famous Chinese writer Huang Beijia will be introduced to Bengali-speaking readers.

Ankur Prakashani’s Collaboration with Jieli Publishing House

One more significant landmark was marked by Ankur Prakashani’s collaboration with Jieli Publishing House.

In 2024, the Bangladeshi publisher became a member of the Jieli–ASEAN Children's Book Alliance as an observer. The next year it joined the Third Children's Book Cooperation Programme implemented by the Alliance and helping in translating and publishing the best examples of Chinese children's literature in many languages.

Within the programme, Ankur Prakashani received the Bengali language rights for The Fairytales in Hutong that is a four-volume children's series created by a famous Chinese illustrator and cartoonist Nie Jun.

The stories are located in Beijing hutongs and tell about fantastic events combined with daily life of families using the delicate watercolor paintings as means of illustration. The books deal with such topics as courage, love, acceptance, and self-development. It gained recognition all over the world including the nomination for The New York Times Best Children's Books of the Year.

The cooperation did not end at the stage of rights acquisition. Editorial teams of both companies worked together on translation, editing, proofreading, typography and design. Two first Bengali versions of the books were published in May 2026.

New Books For Children From Petrel Publishing House

Moreover, Ankur Prakashani also has the rights for two children's books by Petrel Publishing House, which happens to be one of the leading Chinese publishing houses specializing in children's literature.

Founded in 1982, Petrel Publishing House has already published more than 20,000 books, totaling more than two billion copies. In cooperation with other nations through copyright exchange, Petrel's highly awarded publications can now be found in more than twenty different countries.

Not Only for Children

Ankur Prakashani does not restrict itself to translation of children's books only when coming to Chinese publishing house.

Having been driven by curiosity about Chinese economics, government, rural and administrative system, the publisher also has translations of academic and policy-oriented books.

So far Ankur Prakashani has published three Bengali translations from China Social Sciences Press and is now in the process of publishing two more translations from Foreign Languages Press, Beijing which publishes policy papers, history books and books for international readers.

The cooperation with Foreign Languages Press started after the first meeting at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Moving Forward

For publishing houses from Bangladesh and other countries with newly developing publishing industries, BIBF is much more than a platform to trade rights. It is a platform where cultures, thoughts, and expertise meet, thus enabling mutually beneficial international partnerships.

As China keeps enhancing its participation in the international publishing industry, the Beijing International Book Fair will be a growingly significant platform for copyright transactions, translations, and cultural exchanges.

Ankur Prakashani is one of such international partnerships that embodies a long-term vision of making high-quality foreign literature available to Bengali speakers while fostering literary and cultural relations between Bangladesh and China.