Following the launch of Publishing Technology plc in China last August, the largest provider of software and services to the publishing industry is delighted to announce it is partnering with the China National Publications Import and Export Corporation (CNPIEC) to deliver the first ever digital publishing platform to supply content to Chinese libraries.

As the largest company fully licensed by the Chinese government to import publications, CNPIEC has more than 10,000 institutional users spanning academic and public libraries across the country. The ground-breaking new site will use Publishing Technology’s pub2web platform with interfaces in English and Mandarin and aims to offer all Chinese libraries digital access to both local and international content, part of a wider government-led scheme to improve online access and discoverability of content in libraries.

Furthermore, as part of this partnership, Publishing Technology will offer the 250+ publisher customers on its ingentaconnect platform the opportunity to extend their visibility and awareness into the burgeoning Chinese library market, attracting new audiences and opening up potential new revenue streams.

Mrs Wei Wu, Deputy President of CNPIEC, stated: “This new deal with Publishing Technology highlights our dedication to bringing progress and innovation to the Chinese library market. We look forward to working closely with the company to develop new and exciting ways of offering content to our patrons and evolving the landscape of libraries in China.”

George Lossius, CEO at Publishing Technology, commented: “The Chinese government is actively encouraging growth and development in the publishing and library digitisation arena, and it is tremendous to be able to play an important role in this. Our partnership with CNPIEC is incredibly significant; not only because it is our first major deal since launching in China, but also because of the potential benefits that it will afford our very broad customer base, offering them an opportunity to more effectively tap into a highly lucrative growth market for the very first time.”

The new CNPIEC platform will be launched in China in 2012.

George Lossius will deliver the keynote speech to Chinese publishing presidents who attended the Beijing International Book Fair in September at CNPIEC’s annual meeting in Hainan on December 1st.