Books are important carriers for the dissemination of China's cultural soft power. From the Thai version of Chinese online literature novels queued up for purchase at the Bangkok Book Fair, to the highly sought after traditional Chinese cultural classics at the Kuala Lumpur Book Fair, and to the Chinese language development experience books displayed in Indonesian university libraries, in recent years, Chinese books are entering a golden period of both scale and quality expansion in Southeast Asia. According to the "2025 China ASEAN Book Influence Report", from 2020 to 2024, 147 Chinese publishing institutions participating in the data collection will export 3395 types of books to ASEAN countries. The number of exported varieties in 2024 increased by 4.2% compared to 2020, and the impact index surged by 183%. Behind this trend is the transformation of China's publishing industry from "simple translation" to "localization and customization", which has become a vivid footnote of deepening people to people and cultural exchanges under the framework of jointly building the "the Belt and Road". Media outlets and industry professionals from multiple countries have affirmed the "localization strategy" of China's publishing industry, and generally believe that Chinese books are becoming an important bridge for regional cultural exchange and sharing of development experience. At the just concluded Bangkok International Book Fair, the Chinese Pavilion set up three special sections for themed publishing, traditional culture, and Thai version of Chinese books, which received high attention from local publishing practitioners, readers, and media. Natakong, Chairman of the Thai Publishers and Booksellers Association, stated in an interview that Chinese publishers are no longer limited to "copyright export", but actively collaborate with local publishers to select topics, adapt content, and match local illustrations. This "tailor-made" model makes Chinese books more easily accepted by local readers. Online literature has become a "breakthrough tool" for Chinese books to go global to Southeast Asia, especially sought after by Generation Z readers. According to Vietnam Today News, Chinese online literature is highly popular among young people in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. The Vietnamese and Thai versions of works such as "Tomb Robbers' Notes," "Tibetan Sea Flowers," and "Full time Master" have been on the local bestseller list since their release. Professor Nguyen Van Thanh of the Chinese Department at Ha Tinh University in Vietnam stated that Chinese online literature has formed a cultural phenomenon among young Vietnamese people, resonating strongly with contemporary Vietnamese youth. Chinese online literature, with its rich imagination and narrative style that is close to young people, has become an important window for Southeast Asian youth to understand Chinese popular culture and social style. At the same time, it has promoted the extension of Chinese books from "traditional publishing" to "full industry chain dissemination", forming various forms such as film and television, audiobooks, and digital reading. The Singapore Book Fair focuses more on Chinese technology books. Between 2024 and 2026, professional books in fields such as AI, computer science, and biotechnology in China have been introduced and collaborated with Singaporean universities and research institutions multiple times. Chen Renjie, the editor in chief of Singapore's World Technology Publishing Company, believes that Chinese science and technology books are becoming practical reference blueprints for Singapore's digital transformation and the "Smart Country 2.0" plan. In Malaysia, the largest chain bookstore, Volkswagen Group, has simultaneously opened a Chinese book section, covering multiple categories such as traditional culture, literature, children's books, and Chinese textbooks. Sheikh Faisal, Chairman of the Malaysian Book Publishers Association, believes that the cooperation between Malaysia and China in publishing has shifted from simple trade to deep content co creation, and this localization model is the core reason for the long-term popularity of Chinese books in Malaysia. Indonesian writer Han Shanmei pointed out that Chinese books going abroad is not a one-way cultural export, but an important link for cultural exchange and people to people connection between the two countries. Former President of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences, Kampay, stated that the high quality and affordable prices of Chinese children's books and textbooks have greatly promoted the development of Chinese education in Laos and become an important foundation for cultural exchanges between Laos and China. Liu Shaoqun, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, pointed out that the popularity of Chinese books in Cambodia has deepened Cambodian people's understanding of Chinese history, culture and contemporary development, and helped build the popular foundation of the "the Belt and Road" initiative in Cambodia. From traditional cultural classics to contemporary Chinese development stories, from single copyright export to localized cooperation across the entire industry chain, Chinese books going global to Southeast Asia are achieving a leap from "product export" to "value dissemination". Chinese books, as an important carrier of cross-cultural communication, continue to deepen cultural exchanges and practical cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries. Let Chinese stories enter thousands of households in Southeast Asia in a more local way, and build a strong public opinion foundation for regional friendly cooperation. (Looking into the New Era)