Books published by Taiwan publishers, subject to restrictions on the Chinese mainland, are now expected for sale in mainland bookstores for the first time.

The third Cross-Straits Book Fair will open in Xiamen, a costal city of East China's Fujian Province, from October 26 to 31. Most of the mainland publishers and Taiwan's 100 biggest publishers have been invited to attend the fair, said the organizing committee.

The fair will provide a platform for previewing and ordering book samples, with the exception of book displays, sales and copyright trading. All of the Xinhua distribution groups and bookstores on the mainland will come and order Taiwan books, according to the organizing committee. Citizens will be able to buy Taiwan books in the Xinhua bookstores nationwide in the near future.

Other activities during the fair include business cooperation talks between the mainland and Taiwan publishers, cultural exchanges and lectures by famous writers.

At the fair, comic and animation products and Internet games will also be exhibited for the first time.

The book fair is sponsored by the Xiamen Municipal Government, the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Press and Publication, the Publishers Association of China, Taiwan Publishing Association and Taiwan Book Distributors Association.

About 500 booths, including 150 for Taiwan publishers, will be set up in five exhibition halls covering 33,300 square meters and a sales area of about 10,000 square meters.

The past two book fairs were held in Xiamen in July 2005 and in Taipei in September 2006 respectively.

(China Daily August 27, 2007)