Participants pose for a group photo.

The dialogue event, Phoenix Publishing and Chinese Overseas Medical Aid, organized by Phoenix Publishing & Media Group, its subsidiaries Jiangsu People's Publishing House and Yilin Press, was held on April 27 in Tunis, capital city of Tunisia, during the 39th Tunis International Book Fair.

In his speech, Xu Hai, editor-in-chief of PPM, highlighted China's 60-plus years of overseas medical aid, with medical teams operating in 76 countries and regions across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This effort has not only elevated local healthcare standards but also brought the heartfelt friendship of the Chinese people and facilitated the spread of Chinese culture, particularly traditional Chinese medicine.

Xu said "medicine" is a link to health, while "books" are a bridge for cultural exchange. Using its expertise in both, PPMG has recently published a series of health-related books and, through its 18 overseas Phoenix Bookshelves, collaborated with local partners to translate Chinese stories, including overseas medical aid.

He expressed the view that medicine and publishing bear unique responsibilities and functions in constructing a global health community and ultimately a shared human destiny. In the future, PPMG will continue to work with overseas medical aid teams to tell compelling stories of the spread of Chinese culture overseas.

Nie Jian, head of the 29th Chinese (Jiangxi) medical aid team to Tunisia, introduced the team's profile and shared cases and insights from their medical aid work, acknowledging the crucial and distinctive role of publishing in promoting medical and health knowledge. He expressed the hope for more publications to showcase overseas medical aid efforts and spread health-related knowledge.

Siwar Mezni, a university student from Tunisia, shared her experiences of receiving treatment from Chinese doctors and reading related books. She compared and analyzed the similarities between traditional Chinese medicine and Tunisian traditional medicine regarding concepts, methods, and the application of natural therapies.

Books are presented to representatives of the 29th Chinese (Jiangxi) medical aid team to Tunisia.

At the end of the event, Xu Hai and Ge Qingwen, head of Yilin Press, on behalf of PPMG, presented books to the 29th Chinese (Jiangxi) medical aid team to Tunisia and the Confucius Institute at the University of Carthage.

Established in 1982, the Tunis International Book Fair is a significant international book fair in Africa, attracting over 150,000 book purchasers annually. This year, China served as the Guest of Honor at the book fair under "Reading China".