Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

The recently released 2025 China-ASEAN Book Influence Report at the 2025 China-ASEAN Book Culture Week reveals a significant leap in China's cultural engagement with Southeast Asia, where publications in various categories are emerging as a dynamic bridge for mutual understanding. 

According to the report, from 2020 to 2024, 147 Chinese publishing houses exported 3,395 books to ASEAN countries while importing 186 books into China. Exported varieties increased by 4.2 percent and their influence index soared by 183 percent compared to 2020.

These figures not only indicate the acceleration of Chinese culture going global, but also show China's tailored publishing operations have allowed Chinese stories to take root in ASEAN countries.

Cheng Sanguo, chief director of the report project, told the Global Times that the report is based on books exported and imported by 147 Chinese publishing institutions. Books about literature, art, and the social sciences consistently lead in influence, driven by ASEAN's economy and demographic advantages. Meanwhile, the category of children's books is rising rapidly, becoming a new growth point in copyright trade.

Notably, China's publishing exports are precisely tailored to meet the unique needs of each country.

For example, Singapore, a regional innovation hub, shows keen interest in cutting-edge tech genres, such as artificial intelligence, computer technology and biotechnology. 

"As an international metropolis, Singapore has a high demand for technology books," Cheng said, adding that technological innovation is Singapore's core development driver, and its education system emphasizes cultivating students' literacy and innovation in technology. 

These books serve as practical blueprints for its digital transformation, supporting some national initiatives, including the "Smart Nation 2025" plan, an ambitious plan aimed at integrating technology into every aspect of urban life and equipping the country's workforce with advanced tech skills.  

In contrast, Vietnam, riding on a demographic boom and robust economic growth, has seen strong demand for children's literature, reflecting rising parental investment in education amid an expanding middle class. 

Social sciences and literature books are popular in Malaysia due to historical and realistic reasons. With a large Chinese-descent population and a comprehensive Chinese-language education system, Malaysians, especially Chinese Malaysians, can easily understand Chinese literary and social-historical books. 

Cheng explained that as China continues developing rapidly, Malaysians are increasingly interested in China's development experience and model, while Chinese literary and historical books provide a window into the country's history, culture, and society.

These books demonstrate that effective cultural communication is not about imposing narratives, but about creating spaces in which stories from China resonate as part of ASEAN's own growth journey.

In addition, the digital revolution in Chinese publishing houses is also reshaping how Chinese stories reach ASEAN audiences. 

Cao Lei, head of the Beijing Publishing Group, told the Global Times that they have launched initiatives like the "China-ASEAN Literary Digital Corridor" to leverage platforms and deliver some e-books directly to mobile devices, tapping into the digital consumption habits of Generation Z. 

Guangxi Normal University Press has gone further. Huang Xuanzhuang, head of the publishing house, told the Global Times that they have integrated AR technology into original Chinese picture books to further international Chinese education and established an AI-driven publishing innovation center. 

These efforts have transformed passive reading into interactive experiences, ensuring cultural content permeates daily life through modern technology.

As digital technologies and institutional partnerships continue to evolve, China's tech-empowered publishing model offers a template for global cultural engagement, one that prioritizes relevance, adaptability, and mutual benefit. 

By merging traditional narratives with cutting-edge tech, publishers are not only expanding access but also making Chinese culture more relatable to younger, digitally savvy readers. 

As print books and digital products form a complementary matrix, the influence of Chinese content extends from mere bookstore shelves to smartphone screens, which creates a multi-dimensional engagement that resonates across generations.

Behind this literary boom lies a robust framework for the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. 

Projects like the Asian Classics multi-translation plan and China-Myanmar literary translation project serve as cultural "soft infrastructure," institutionalizing knowledge exchanges. 

The ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership provides foundational support for such initiatives, ensuring sustained investment in translation, distribution, and educational collaboration. 

This strategic alignment turns cultural exchange into a long-term investment in people-to-people bonds, essential for strengthening the China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

As Wu Shulin, head of the Publishers Association of China, aptly stated at the event, "Civilizations thrive through exchange and are enriched through mutual learning." 

These 3,395 exported books act as bridges connecting not only markets but also the hearts of people. 

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn