San Francisco, CA- A Chinese company says it has printed 100 million copies of the Bible, making that country the world’s largest publisher of the holy book.

Qiu Zhonghui, chairman of Amity Printing Co., said the Bibles were distributed both inside China and abroad in almost 100 languages.

The 100 millionth printing was presented at a ceremony in Nanjing in Jiangsu province in eastern China. The special edition has a bamboo cover to represent the fountain of life.

Qiu said 60 million copies of the Bible in nine languages were printed in China. About 40 million editions including 90 languages have been distributed in about 70 other countries.

Amity Printing, a joint venture of the Amity Foundation and the United Bible Societies, is the only company in China authorized by the government to print the Bible.

A government official at the Nanjing ceremony said China offered its backing of the company out of respect of religious rights.

“The Chinese government respects and protects religious freedom and will continue to support printing and publishing of Bibles in China,” said Guo Wei, a State Administration for Religious Affairs spokeswoman, according to the China Daily.

Qiu noted that Amity Printing has benefited from tax exemptions. Bibles are sold in more than 70 retail locations throughout China.

Guo said the government aimed to build on the connections between Chinese and churches overseas.

The ceremony included representatives of churches and Christian organizations from Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong, the United States and more than 15 other countries.

A German consular official said ecumenical cooperation was inspiring. Stefan Moebs is a Catholic who attends a Shanghai church shared by a Catholic priest and Protestant minister. Moebs, who serves as a German deputy consul general, urged the Amity Foundation to keep up its philanthropy in rural areas.

Qiu said Amity was focused on the needs of Christians in China but also had expanded its overseas orders.

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