Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad addresses the unveiling ceremony for the Malay edition of the "Four Great Classical Novels" of Chinese literature in Beijing on Aug 19. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad attended an unveiling ceremony for the Malay edition of the "Four Great Classical Novels" of Chinese literature in Beijing on Aug 19.

The books have been published by Zhejiang Publishing United Group, one of the top 50 publishers in the world, in collaboration with some Malaysian agencies.

Mohamad highly praised the publications and encouraged Malaysians to read the masterworks in his address at the ceremony, saying these translations can enable people to learn more about Chinese literature and culture.

In addition to the four classic novels, the translated publications also included the English and Malay versions of Jack Ma's biography and an English book about Yiwu's small commodities market, two books featuring Zhejiang elements.

Zhejiang Publishing United Group has been deepening cooperation with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative in recent years. Its close ties with Malaysia have led to the publication of numerous Chinese books in the Southeastern Asian country, as well as the launch of cooperation projects between the two sides.

To date, the group's publications in Malaysia have included textbooks for students, children's stories, a series of books about China's intangible cultural heritages and an illustrated book on tea culture. Additionally, a mobile digital library jointly developed by Zhejiang Publishing United Group and Migu Digital Media Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China Mobile Communications Corp has been used by over 1,000 Chinese schools in Malaysia.