China and Russia signed the largest deal in Sino-Russian publishing trade history on Friday to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries.

 

The Copyright Agency of China and Phoenix Publishing of Russia signed a deal at the Conference on International Copyright Cooperation in Changsha, Hunan Province, that Russia will import 75 varieties of Chinese books.

 

The deal was part of the Year of Russia in China, according to sources with the Copyright Agency of China.

 

The 75 books included volumes on Confucius, Taoism and Buddhismand other aspects of traditional Chinese culture.

 

Valdman Leonid, head of Phoenix Publishing, said the publishing house would complete publication of the books in two years.

 

He said the company had imported more than 100 Chinese books and hoped to enhance exchanges and cooperation in copyright trade with China.

 

Europe and the United States are the main sources of imported books in Russia, but Valdman believed more Chinese books would be published because "Russian readers are more interested in Chinese culture."

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2006)