The 10th Forum on Innovation and Development of Digital Publishing was held in Jinan, Shandong province, on Aug 28, during which the China-Africa Publishing Association was launched. The alliance has blazed a new trail for deepening pragmatic cooperation and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results between China and Africa in the publishing sector.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa and the China-Africa Year of Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges. To implement the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2025–2027) and practice the Global Civilization Initiative, publishing institutions from China and Africa have jointly initiated and established the alliance under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. It aims to build a regularized cooperation mechanism for China-Africa publishing exchanges, deepen mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations, as well as exchanges on governance, tell inspiring stories of China-Africa cooperation, and advance in-depth pragmatic cooperation in publishing and cultural fields.

Wang Liming, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the China Publishers Association, said generative artificial intelligence is driving the full-chain transformation and upgrading of the publishing industry. The industry must accurately grasp the direction of industrial reform, prioritize content as the core, and uphold the soul and foundation of publishing amid technological iteration. Meanwhile, it is essential to strictly regulate the boundaries of technological application, strengthen industrial self-discipline and ethical development, safeguard publishing security, and maintain a sound and orderly market environment for the industry. Looking ahead, the industry needs to continuously build an open industrial ecosystem, accelerate the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents adaptable to the needs of the times, and focus on fostering strategic and innovative talents to lead the future development of the industry. Furthermore, it should actively participate in global digital publishing governance, carry out extensive international pragmatic cooperation, build consensus among the global industry, and foster a new pattern of mutually beneficial development for the publishing industry. Wang also called on the industry to consolidate development consensus, deepen collaborative cooperation, jointly write a new chapter of AI-empowered publishing ecosystem, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the high-quality development of the global publishing industry.

Feng Shixin, secretary of the CPC committee and president of the China Academy of Press and Publication, said China's digital publishing industry has witnessed steady growth in revenue scale, enriched content supply, and continuous innovation and upgrading in knowledge services in recent years, emerging as an important carrier for boosting national digital reading and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. Faced with new opportunities brought by the rapid development of big data and artificial intelligence, the digital publishing industry should adhere to the value of content, uphold the principle of "content-oriented and technology-enabled", and improve the capacity for high-quality content supply and precise communication. It is necessary to deepen digital integration, take scenario innovation as the driving force, strengthen the layout and collaborative governance of data assets, and promote the safe and orderly flow of high-quality data. Efforts should also be made to leverage platforms including the China-Africa Publishing Association to deepen exchanges and cooperation in copyright, talent, technology and services, and advance civilizational mutual learning and people-to-people bonds. The China Academy of Press and Publication will further strengthen relevant research, standard formulation, talent training and international exchanges, consistently host the China International Digital Publishing Expo, and facilitate the high-quality development of the digital publishing industry.

Fang Yunlong, counselor of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, extended warm congratulations on the establishment of the China-Africa Publishing Association and acknowledged all sectors committed to promoting China-Africa publishing cooperation and cultural communication. He noted that the establishment of the association is an important measure to implement the consensus of the 2024 FOCAC Beijing Summit and advance the development of a platform for exchanges on governance between China and Africa. China and Africa form a community with a shared future with weal and woe bound together. From the ancient Silk Road to the Belt and Road Initiative, publications have always served as a bridge of friendship and wisdom between the Chinese and African peoples. The current digital and intelligent revolution has brought broad opportunities for publishing cooperation between the two sides. He stated that the Department of African Affairs will continue to support China-Africa cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation and back the work of the alliance. He also expressed hope that the alliance will take root in civilizational mutual learning to become a loyal promoter of ideological exchanges, drive industrial upgrading through digital and intelligent innovation to serve as an active explorer of industrial transformation, and focus on grassroots people to act as a firm practitioner of people-to-people connectivity.

Wang Fang, chairman of the China-Africa Publishing Association, secretary of the CPC committee and chairman of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), as well as president of FLTRP, remarked that the association is not only a pragmatic move to implement the FOCAC action plan and practice the Global Civilization Initiative, but also a landmark achievement in the institutionalized and regularized development of China-Africa publishing cooperation. She pointed out that digital and intelligent technology is profoundly reshaping the publishing industry. As the secretariat of the alliance, FLTRP will fully provide service support to ensure the implementation of various cooperation initiatives.

Asare Konadu Yamoah, vice-president of the African Publishers Association and president of Ghana's Adex Education Publishing Limited, noted that China and Africa boast profound civilizational heritage and highly complementary publishing industries. Adhering to the core principles of equal mutual learning, benefit and win-win results, bilateral cooperation helps African local culture better go global and integrate into the global knowledge system, creates broad development space for publishing industries on both sides, and enriches the cultural connotation of traditional China-Africa friendship.

Yang Baoqi, deputy director-general of the International Communication Bureau of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, together with relevant officials from the publicity department, Fang Yunlong, counselor of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Yiqiang, vice-chairman of the Publishers Association of China and president of the China Book Review Society, Feng Shixin, secretary of the CPC committee and president of the China Academy of Press and Publication, Wang Fang, chairman of the China-Africa Publishing Association, as well as Asare Konadu Yamoah, vice-president of the African Publishers Association, Doudi, president of Cameroon's African Education Press, and James Onganga, CEO of the Digital Business Subsidiary of Kenya's Longhorn Publishers PLC, jointly launched the China-Africa Publishing Association.

The Declaration of China-Africa Publishing Association was officially released at the launching ceremony, embodying the shared ideals and cooperation norms of the publishing sectors of China and Africa. The declaration serves as a solemn commitment to deepen publishing collaboration and a guideline for the alliance's future work.