BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The 31st Beijing International Book Fair opened here on Wednesday, displaying around 220,000 books from China and abroad.

Over 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions participated in the event, which will run through June 22, with Malaysia as this year's guest country of honor.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited and researched the book fair on Wednesday.

More than 20 countries, including France, Germany and Japan, have set up national exhibition stands at the book fair. Springer Nature, Penguin Random House, Wiley and over 20 other major international publishing houses have participated in the event offline, showcasing a curated selection of foreign-language books.

The book fair also highlights digital publishing, with leading Chinese companies such as Tencent, Douyin and NetEase showcasing their achievements in online literature and gaming.