BEIJING — This year's Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) will open online on Sept 26, with an estimated 400,000 types of books on display.

It will be the first virtual fair since the inaugural event back in 1986, the organizer said at a news conference on Aug 26.

The smart BIBF, utilizing new technologies such as big data and AI, will create an all-year-round communications platform for the international book publishing industry, said the BIBF on its website.

With Cuba as the Country of Honor, the book fair has attracted more than 1,000 registered online exhibitors from 68 countries and regions, including 29 countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes, the organizer said.

This year's book fair will be loaded with various programs, including copyright trade, publication exhibition, the BIBF global reading festival and the 2020 Beijing international publishing forum.

The 27th event is co-hosted by the National Press and Publication Administration, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Beijing municipal government, the Publishers Association of China and China Writers Association.