The organiser of Hong Kong’s annual book fair has said it did not hold a list of banned titles for participating publishers, maintaining the same position as last year that it would not pre-screen books, “as long as the titles didn’t breach Hong Kong law, including the national security law.”
The fair, hosted principally by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will open at 10 am on July 19 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, and last for a week.
Sophia Chong, the deputy executive director at HKTDC, was asked at a press event last Thursday if the organiser would censor titles displayed in the book fair.
Chong, giving the same answer as last year, vowed that HKTDC would not screen titles in advance, saying it has confidence that exhibitors were all familiar with “the house rules.”
She denied having a list of “banned titles” for the exhibitors, adding that books can be sold in the fair as long as they did not violate the law, including the security law.
The enquiry came after nearly 200 books were found to have been purged from public libraries in May, including many by pro-democracy authors, soon after government auditors advised the department that oversees libraries to “step up efforts” to make sure library materials did not threaten national security.
Last year, at least three independent publishers, including one founded by ex-teacher Raymond Yeung who was jailed for joining an unlawful assembly in 2019, told the media their applications to participate in the fair had been rejected.
Chong refused to answer a question on how many exhibitors had been rejected from this year’s event, saying “there are publishers being rejected every year… HKTDC will not comment on individual cases.”
After being rejected by the book fair, Yeung started an independent book fair called Hongkongers’ Book Fair. However, that fair was axed last year after its venue was pulled at the last minute.
When asked if HKTDC had received complaints over “illegal titles” in the past, Chong said “some people did speak,” but they did not have the figure of the number of complaints received.
She said HKTDC would forward the complaint to the accused book vendors, “and they could decide whether they would continue to display the book themselves.”
The deputy executive director added that they were expecting more visitors from around the world this year as all the anti-epidemic measures had been lifted, and with the new Exhibition Centre MTR station bringing in larger crowds from the Greater Bay Area in China.
Over 500 out of the 760 exhibitors will be book vendors this year. Other vendors include those selling snacks and sports equipment, according to the organiser.
In June 2020, Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution – bypassing the local legislature – following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts, which were broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.
The move gave police sweeping new powers, alarming democrats, civil society groups and trade partners, as such laws have been used broadly to silence and punish dissidents in China. However, the authorities say it has restored stability and peace to the city.
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