MBRF strengthens partnerships with Chinese cultural entities

DUBAI- 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 that works to extend bridges of knowledge and cooperation 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 China and the UAE.

The signing took place during a visit of the Shandong Publishing Group’s delegation to the foundation. The group is 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 from 22nd to 26th August.

The opportunities explored to further enhance knowledge and cultural exchange included 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 the Shandong Publishing Group in the fields of digital printing and publishing. Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of the MBRF, stressed the deep cultural and historical relations between the UAE and China while 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," he remarked.

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