Beyond the amazing S.E.A.
The Southeast Asian publishing market is evolving rapidly, attracting growing interest from the international community.
With a young population, rich cultural and linguistic diversity, and the rise of digital reading and independent publishing, the region is a hub for new stories, creative approaches, and collaborative ideas.
From local themes to cross-cultural storytelling, and publishers’ agile responses to technology and market trends, Southeast Asia’s publishing scene is full of energy and potential.
Event Information
Date｜February 4, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time｜10:00-12:30
Venue｜Conference Room 3, Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1
Language｜EN/CH
Partner｜PUBAT, Thai Trade Office, Taipei
|
TIME |
TOPIC |
SPEAKERS |
|
10:00-10:05 |
Opening |
Taipei Book Fair Foundation |
|
10:05-10:10 |
Introduction |
Theerapat Charoensuk |
|
10:10-10:40 |
Concepts and Trends of AI in Thai-Chinese Translation ●Perspectives: Insights from the viewpoints of publishers, translators, copyright holders, and the book market. ●Tools & Precautions: Practical use of AI tools and key considerations for quality and ethics. ●The AI Debate: Addressing concerns regarding AI displacing human translators. |
Anurak Kitpaiboonthawee |
|
10:40-11:10 |
Through the Looking Glass: How Reading Cooperation Builds Soft Power in a Fragmented World In an era marked by fragmentation and geopolitical uncertainty, reading remains one of the most underestimated forms of soft power. This session explores how reading when treated as cultural infrastructure rather than a standalone activity can strengthen regional cooperation and deepen mutual understanding across borders. |
Adibah Omar |
|
11:10-11:25 |
Break |
|
|
11:25-11:55 |
The Philippine Book Publishing Industry: Education Driven, Culturally Vibrant The Philippines is a mid-sized, education-driven publishing market. As the guest of honor at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair in 2025, the Philippines showcased a vibrant publishing industry which included education, trade, and academic publishing. Increasing interest in Philippine content assures the rise of internationalism of Filipino titles driven by a culturally vibrant trade publishing sector. With a large and young population, the Philippines remains one of the significant markets in the Asia-Pacific region. |
Andrea Pasion Flores |
|
11:55-12:25 |
Panel Discussion |
All Speakers |
|
12:25-12:30 |
Closing Remarks |
Theerapat Charoensuk |
Moderator and Speaker
Moderator
Theerapat Charoensuk/ Secretary General/ Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT)
Speakers
Anurak Kitpaiboonthawee/ CH-TH Translator
Former Vice President of International Affairs and Board Member, The Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT)
* Editor-in-Chief, Mangmoom Book Publishing
* Recipient of the "Surintharaja Award" for Outstanding Translator (2019)
* Over 20 years of experience in Chinese-to-Thai translation, with more than 200 published titles.
Andrea Pasion Flores/ President/ Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP)
Andrea Pasion-Flores was the Executive Director of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), a government agency tasked with the development of the book publishing industry.
Andrea was also a literary agent Jacarandra, an Asian-based literary agency with the goal to champion Asian literature and authors. After which she became the general manager of a large trade publisher.
In 2020, she bought Milflores, a small publishing company focusing on literary fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. She is the current president of the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), the largest organization of publishers in the Philippines with about 130 members.
She has been a consultant for the NBDB, twice spearheading the crafting of the road map for the Philippine book publishing industry: Resilience and Recovery: Charting the Future of the Book Publishing Industry (2015) and Reboot and Recalibrate: The Book Industry Road Map of 2021
Adibah Omar/ CEO/ Kota Buku
An aspiring unicorn, Adibah Omar is a prominent individual who has made significant contributions in the Malaysian Book Industry. Trained as an English Teacher in the United Kingdom, her career spanned over two decades, Adibah has garnered a lot of attention in the industry with her "Big Picture" narrative to push the industry to a higher level.
The first woman CEO of Kota Buku (Malaysia Book City Corporation), Adibah's book industry strategic plan is evident in her offerings of Book Industry moving forward plan especially post Covid 2020. Through this plan, Adibah challenges the industry's readibility to embrace digitalization and motivates the early adopters, while amplifying their strategic and monetary gains.
A mother of 6 children, she enjoys seeing them grow and fulfill their potentials in life.
*The Organizer reserve the right to modify the program.
*Should you have any questions, please contact:
Taipei Book Fair Foundation /Cecilia Chien / 886-2-27671268 #107 / [email protected]
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