The Secretariat on Mutual Translation and Publication Project of Asian Classics is a scientific research collaboration body established at Beijing Language and Culture University under the administration of the Import and Export Administration Bureau of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. It was created to implement the important initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019. The Secretariat is primarily responsible for organizing country-specific research, reviewing the copyright status of recommended Chinese books, assisting the Import and Export Administration Bureau in matters related to the negotiation, signing, and implementation of memorandums of understanding, as well as facilitating communication and coordination among relevant departments/institutions, experts, translators, and other stakeholders.
As of July 2025, China has signed memorandums on the mutual translation and publication of classic works with 25 countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Pakistan, Iran, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Yemen, Thailand, Jordan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Qatar, Tajikistan, Brunei, Italy, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Chile. In accordance with the memorandums, the secretariat has assisted the competent authorities in establishing Chinese committees for 22 countries to provide professional guidance for the mutual translation work. A total of 81 books have been published under the classic works mutual translation project.
The Secretary-General of the Secretariat is Professor Xu Baofeng.
