“We warmly welcome the establishment of the Literary Network of the Belt and Road, and Pakistan will work to promote the development and exchanges of literature in BRI countries and to enhance the friendship and people-to-people bonds among the people of the BRI countries,” said Dr Muhammad Yousuf Khushk, Chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, via video link at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Literary Network of the Belt and Road on September 7 in Beijing.
While addressing the ceremony, Mrs Tie Ning, president of the China Writer Association (CWA), noted that the Literary Network will be a strategic step to enhance the literary exchange and cooperation among BRI countries and marks a new starting point for BRI cooperation.
Pakistani literature and culture have a huge following in China. A recent online reading event exploring the stories behind Pakistani books, movies and music garnered over 930,000 views, according to the Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), organiser of the reading event. Pakistani literature is expected to find favour with more readers along BRI countries through the Network.
The Network will focus on three aspects. As a first step, the Network will build a cooperation mechanism among its members through literary forums, writers’ and translators’ workshops, and translate literary masterpieces of BRI countries and introduce them to a wider audience.
Cooperation will also cover the cultivation of literary talents. The Network will engage writers, translators, literary critics and publishers in various activities and organise them to venture abroad to get inspirations and trainings.
The Network is also expected to strengthen the cooperation in the copyright protection of literature, holding copyrights protection seminars and trainings and providing help for author copyright protection.
Hosted by the China Writer Association, the Inaugural Ceremony of the Literary Network of the Belt and Road is also attended by 30 literary organisations and 19 writers and translators from 35 countries, including Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Russia as founding members of the Network.
