Premier Su makes remarks at opening of Taipei International Book Exhibition 2007

Premier Su Tseng-chang attended the opening ceremonies of the Taipei International Book Exhibition 2007 on January 30, where he urged people to read more, saying reading is important and helps expand peoples' horizons. According to Su, completing a book is quite an accomplishment. In addition to requiring a large amount of thought and then drafting by the writer, the process of getting a book to the publisher also requires many revisions and editing. On the other hand, it only takes the reader "half a day" to finish reading a book, yet that person can receive insight to the author's knowledge and wisdom over a lifetime. Su said that reading is a joyful activity, encouraging everyone to read more and read good books.

In remarks at the opening ceremonies, Su added that he was delighted to see that the nation in focus for this year's book exhibition is Russia. He noted that Russian literature is quite profound and well known for its quality. He said that Russian literature has won the respect of the world for generations. As a result, Russian literature and authors are quite well known among the people of Taiwan. Almost everyone has had the experience of reading Russian literature from the time they are young. Su said he hopes that even more people will become familiar with Russian literature in light of the focus given it during this year's book exhibition and that people will learn about important contemporary Russian authors.

Su said that this year's book exhibition varies a bit from those held in the past. One new portion of the exhibition of this year is a segment devoted to Taiwan's "new residents." For example, there will be a special exhibition of books from Southeast Asia. In addition, free tickets will be provided to people from those countries who now live in Taiwan so that they can go and check out the various books from their native lands.

Su said that in light of technology advancements and the rise of e-books over the Internet, the entire method of publishing has changed quite a bit from the past. He noted how Taiwan is one of the world's leaders in digital technology and that this is one aspect this year's book exhibition will emphasize. He said that he is confident that various discussions and exchanges carried out during the exhibition will enable industry members to strengthen cooperation and pave the way to even more innovation. Su added that he hopes that this year's book exhibition will provide a platform and opportunities to encourage more reading among the populace and enable everyone to understand the importance of knowledge. This exhibition will also enable publishers to look at the products of their counterparts and hold discussions and negotiations among themselves.

The Taipei Book Fair Foundation, the sponsor of the event, said that this year's book exhibition is being held between January 30 and February 4. In addition to the theme pavilion at the Taipei World Trade Center where visitors can see a variety of Russian literature and books, books from countries throughout the world will also be on display. Also, a Comics Pavilion and Children's Pavilion have been set up. In order to expand the content of the book exhibition, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation has cooperated with libraries in countries and cities throughout northern Taiwan to arrange an activity that encourages reading among children.