By Sheeda Fathil
SHAH ALAM, July 29 — The Selangor Public Library Corporation (PPAS) will participate in the South China Book Festival in Guangzhou, which will take place from August 16 to 20.
PPAS Corporate Division head Zafrullah Aris said its participation as an exhibitor will not only enhance its image but also promote local literary works on an international level.
“PPAS recently received an invitation from the Chinese government to be an exhibitor. This highlights PPAS’ growing popularity, especially through the series of book fairs in Selangor.
“In fact, the Guangzhou book festival also serves as a platform for us to promote the Selangor International Book Fair (SIBF), which will be organised this November,” he said when met at the Selangor Children's Book Fair at the PKNS Complex, here, yesterday.
Zafrullah said the state statutory body will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China as an invitation to the republic to join the SIBF.
"We need involvement from foreign countries to uphold the international status of the book festival. Through this MoU, we invite China to set up a booth at the SIBF this November.
"We hope this collaboration between Selangor and China will further enhance the development of books and literary works between the two countries on an international level," he said.
SIBF was held for the first time in 2022, and is an expansion of the Selangor Book Festival which was organised for 16 years since 2006.
The festival serves more than just a book-selling event; it is also a platform for sharing ideas and has featured hundreds of exhibitors from various countries including Indonesia, China and Saudi Arabia.
Attendees can also enjoy a range of activities such as lucky draws, special book sales and discounts.