ALGIERS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A tribute will be paid to the Chinese novelist Mo Yan who won Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012 by organizers of the International Book Fair of Algiers (SILA), Ministry of Culture said Tuesday in a statement.

China has been chosen to be the guest of honor of the 23rd International Book Fair of Algiers to be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 10, when novelist Mo Yan will be present with the Chinese delegation and more than 150 writers and editors.

Mo Yan, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 for his novel entitled "Red Sorghum," will hold a conference before being honored at the official ceremony, the statement said.

The event is part of an effort to "strengthen the historical China-Algerian ties" as the two nations are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations.

SILA 2018 will witness the participation of 970 publishers from 47 countries, including 271 Algerian publishing houses.

As many as 300,000 books in different domains, including 3,000 Chinese titles in Arabic and English, will be exhibited.

In 2017, SILA attracted a record high of nearly 1.7 million visitors, 200,000 more than the 2016 event.