Publishers in Hong Kong barred from book expo due to politically sensitive content: Report

The annual book exhibition in Hong Kong opened on July 20, with some publishers of political books being prohibited from attending and others saying that they had to be cautious about what they displayed. Publishers in Hong Kong have denounced the suspected exclusion of sellers of politically sensitive books from the industry's annual trade exhibition as a "new form of censorship."

The primary organiser of the fair, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, stated that it did not review the books being sold there. However, since a strict national security law went into effect in 2020, Hong Kong authorities have increased restrictions on the right to free speech and have detained dozens of pro-democracy activists. The council emphasised that exhibitors must adhere to the law.

The seven-day event that started this week had hundreds of exhibitors spread out over the city's main exhibition complex, and it once attracted more than 1 million visitors and was a staple economic opportunity for the industry. However, publishers that displayed books about the protests that shook the city in 2019 last year have been barred from the book fair this year without justification.

Hillway Culture was one of them, and at least two other publishers, Humming Publishing and Kind Of Culture, were also rejected. The books on exhibition were not pre-screened, according to the city's commercial development committee, but vendors were held liable for the goods they sold.

Publishing companies having a difficult time

Given the pandemic's negative economic effects on the city and worries about censorship and rejection of independent publishers, publishing companies are having a difficult time, according to Kaying Wong, a guest curator at The House of Hong Kong Literature, the largest literary institution in the area, AP reported.

The fair is one of the biggest book exhibition in Asia. It was renowned in previous years for displaying a variety of books, including some that were sensitive politically and those that were outlawed on the China's mainland under communist government. Due to the pandemic in 2020, the city repeatedly postponed the fair. After an one-year break, the event was eventually held in person in June of last year. The book fair for this year is open from July 20 to July 26.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP