By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), organized by the China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Co., Ltd. (CNPIEC).Taking place from June 17-21, this year’s fair will feature the first ever IP licensing zone, a new Online Publishing Joint Pavilion to showcase AI innovation, an expanded BIBF ComicHub, and The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be presented as this year’s Country of Honor.
“We are so proud to celebrate BIBF’s 40th anniversary and it is BIBF’s ability to evolve and change to meet publishing’s needs that have made it such an important and enduring event. And now with all the possibilities of AI systems, publishing is changing fast again and so must we,” said Ms Lei Jianhua, Vice President of CNPIEC.
Because AI is driving so much innovation and change in all industries as well as publishing, BIBF will host a number of events as well as create a dedicated pavilion on the topic:
- The Beijing International Publishing Forum (BIPF): Under the theme “Together for a Shared Future of Publishing,” this year’s forum will bring together publishing executives, policymakers, and scholars to discuss key topics around AI, including innovation in knowledge systems and how AI is driving systemic transformation throughout the publishing industry.
- The PubTech Conference: Focusing on AIGC applications and technical infrastructure for the next generation of content, this year’s conference is titled “The AI-Powered Future.” Speakers include Nancy Chescheir, Chair of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE); Hylke Koers, Chief Information Officer at STM Solutions; Zhang Moyu, President of Wiley China; Heather St. Pierre, Vice President of Impact at Taylor & Francis; and Henning Schoenenberger, Vice President of Content Innovation at Springer Nature—alongside senior leaders from BMJ Group, World Scientific, IOP Publishing, CNKI, and leading academic and industry institutions.
- The International Publishing Education Summit: This event will examine the urgent need to reshape publishing curricula and talent cultivation in an AI-centric era.
- World Children’s Book Forum: The forum is themed “Children’s Publishing Strategies in the Age of AI” and will include global children’s publishing professionals, AI experts, and scholars discussing new publishing models and strategies that align with children’s cognitive and emotional development today.
- Internet Publishing Joint Pavilion: For the first time, BIBF will create a dedicated space bringing together 20 industry-leading exhibitors to showcase AIGC (Generative AI) solutions, cutting-edge AI-integrated publishing workflows, and the globalized expansion of webnovel and online gaming.
In addition to the professional program, BIBF will host over 1,000 cultural events around Beijing, featuring world-renowned literary figures including BIBF Global Reading Ambassador Liu Zhenyun; award-winning and internationally acclaimed Chinese novelist, essayist, and short story writer Yu Hua; Canadian Poet Laureate Tim Lilburn, renowned Malaysian-Chinese writer Dai Xiaohua; among others.
BIBF is one of the key events for international publishers to engage with the Chinese market as well as the wider Asian markets.
For publishers looking to better understand the Chinese market, recent statistics highlight that adult readers aren’t that dissimilar to Western audiences who select books by “vibes,” are engaged by video content (BookTok), and are looking to understand more about AI.
According to the 2025 OpenBook Retail Market Trend Report, content-driven e-commerce grew 30.43% year-over-year, now accounting for 40.53% of China’s retail book market. Buying behavior has shifted from being primarily driven by specific searches on retail platforms to being influenced by multiple factors including emotional resonance.
To attract this audience, book content is released in easily-shareable “quotes” and “clips” that resonate with audiences, thereby establishing a deeper connection with users.
Much like UK and German publishers are seeing with BookTok, the 2026 Douyin (Chinese TikTok) E-commerce Reading Trends Report saw 100% growth in book-related content uploads, driving a 99% increase in book orders, including niche academic and cultural categories.
In children’s books, science and nature-themed books have become the largest sub-sector of the Chinese children’s book market, with a roughly 29% share.
And in nonfiction reading, recent titles The AI Productivity Handbook and Doubao AI Money-Making Handbook are in the top ten nonfiction bestsellers.
For more information about the current Chinese market, Publishing Perspectives publishes the monthly China Bestsellers list, courtesy of OpenBook.