Against this background, Zhao says his publishing house has invited prominent experts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other institutions to edit the "Understanding China" series.

Experts from the academy exchanged ideas with their London audiences on China's social welfare polices and governance reform.

"There is natural logic behind why China has chosen one development path instead of another and it is meaningful to publish this series to achieve better understanding of China," says Fang Ning, president of the Institute of Political Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "We are trying hard to explain things clearly for our foreign readers in order to gain mutual trust and avoid misconceptions."

The Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press UK, meanwhile, launched English versions of two Chinese books at the fair.

"The launch of the books - Brush and Ink in Chinese Painting and Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture - signifies a shift by FLTRP from foreign language educational publishing in China to being a promoter of Chinese culture in the world arena", says Cai Jianfeng, company president.

"There has been increasing demand for China-themed publishing year-on-year in the market due to China's improving soft power," Cai says, "and we also see growing numbers of Chinese language learners who would love to know more about Chinese culture."

Cai says he is hoping to clinch sales rights for the two books at the fair in order to see them published in more languages.