The Chinese bookseller hoo-hah

[Josquius]

Somehow I ended up reading these articles one after the other yesterday.


First an interesting one from a few years ago:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/25/business/china-forbidden-books/

Hong Kong sellers profit from Beijing's 'forbidden' books
By Corinna Liu and Molly Gray, for CNN
Updated 1:17 AM ET, Wed July 25, 2012

When a mainland Chinese tourist heard about a bookstore in Hong Kong that sold books banned by Beijing, he knew he had to check it out.

The Beijing native traveled to Hong Kong for a weekend in July and stopped by People's Commune in Causeway Bay to see if the rumors were true. "I want to know the inside stories of the party," said the man, who did not want to be identified because it was illegal to bring the books back home. "It has nothing to do with me personally but there is no way you can get those inside China."

In mainland China the government places strict controls on mass media, which often means that political analysis and controversial accounts of Chinese history are impossible to find within the country's borders.

However, entrepreneurs in Hong Kong -- a special administrative region of China that has freedom of press -- are cashing in on the ban to cater to the millions of mainland Chinese who travel to Hong Kong to shop.

Bookstores such as People's Commune stock their shelves with forbidden tales of everything from the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989 to the ongoing scandal of ousted Communist Party official Bo Xilai.

People's Commune sits in a bustling shopping district in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
People's Commune sits in a bustling shopping district in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
Deng Zi Qiang, the owner of People's Commune, has seen a growing flood of mainland Chinese customers since he opened the store in 2003, the same year Hong Kong was opened to an increasing number of independent travelers from China. In 2011, Hong Kong had 28.1 million visitors from the mainland, compared to 13.6 million in 2006, according to statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Now, "95% of the customers are from mainland China," said Deng, a Hong Kong native.

The People's Commune has opened an account on China's microblogging site Sina Weibo to inform their Chinese customers of new selections and to take orders. Most buyers are from developed cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Deng said. They range in age from 30 to 40 years old and are scholars or businessmen.

Even Chinese government officials and police chiefs have come through his doors. "Some of them show me their police IDs when checking out" to prove they are government officials, Deng said.

As a businessman, Deng said he doesn't care too much about political rumors and scandal, but his book selection taps a huge potential market.

"Mainland China is short of information and freedom of expression compared to Hong Kong," Deng said. "Besides luxury goods, I thought it could also be an attraction for mainland Chinese."

He said that he sells between 200 and 300 books a month.

Zhou Baosong, a political professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said part of the allure for mainland Chinese is that reading such books makes people feel like they are political participants, rather than just helpless observers.

Books on Liu Xiaobo, an activist and political prisoner, are among books banned in China.
Books on Liu Xiaobo, an activist and political prisoner, are among books banned in China.
That also explains why many Hong Kong locals don't pay much attention to the bookstores.

In democratic societies like Hong Kong people don't exhibit the same passion for reading political books since they have adequate ways to get information and be involved in politics, Zhou said.

But this information climate also provides lots of room for rumors and falsehoods.

"Mainland Chinese are more keen to read (whatever they can)," said Zhou. "Rumors then get the opportunity to spread."

On a recent Friday night dozens of customers sat in the store browsing selections at People's Commune.

"I found some books ridiculous," said a stock broker from Fujian Province, in Eastern China, who stopped in the bookstore while his wife and daughter shopped nearby. "I think our country is the best place to be."

When returning to China, his customers risk having them confiscated at customs, Deng said. Still, many make repeated trips to obtain the books, he added.

But it's not a defiance of the Communist Party that fuels his desire to read these books, said the customer from Beijing.

"Just because I'm reading these books, doesn't mean I'm anti-Party," he said. "In fact, if the people have more access to the decision-making process they can give suggestions and provide their wisdom.

"As long as it doesn't hurt the fundamental well being of its people, I don't see a reason for the country to ban the information," adds the man, who left with several political magazines in tow. "After all, we want the country to be better and our lives to be improved."

Then....a development which seems to have hit the TV news today:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/04/asia/hong-kong-china-missing-booksellers/

Hong Kong (CNN)Hong Kong's leader has appealed for information after the mysterious disappearance of five people linked to a publisher of books critical of China.

Chief Executive C.Y. Leung said there was "no indication" that those reported missing had been taken to mainland China by Chinese security agents, an accusation raised by some opposition political leaders in Hong Kong.

Instead, Leung stressed that only Hong Kong law enforcement agencies had the legal authority to enforce laws here.

"Anyone who thinks they have information that may lead to a better understanding of the whereabouts and the reasons why they seem to be missing from Hong Kong would be welcome to provide such information to the Hong Kong government authorities," he said.

A British Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said that it was aware of the case, and that there was a possibility that one of the missing -- 65-year-old Lee Bo -- was a British passport holder.

And Sweden's foreign ministry said its embassies in Bangkok and Beijing were investigating reports that one of its nationals had been detained in Thailand or China.

In response to questions about the missing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that "any Hong Kong resident who is of Chinese descent and ... born in the Chinese territories" are citizens of China.

Hua added that whatever happens in Hong Kong "are purely China's internal affairs [in which] any foreign country has no right to interfere."

Lawmaker: 'Forced disappearance'
Albert Ho, a pro-democracy lawmaker, told CNN that he believed that Bo, a major shareholder in Causeway Bay Books, had been taken across the border to China against his will.

"It's a forced disappearance," said Ho. "All those who have disappeared are related to the Causeway Bay bookshop and this bookshop was famous, not only for the sale, but also for the publication and circulation of a series of sensitive books."

Ho added that the publishing house had been planning on publishing a book about the "love affairs" of China's President Xi Jinping during his time working "in the provinces."

Lee was reported missing to police Friday.

His wife contacted police on Monday requesting to cancel the case report. However, under Hong Kong law, only the subject of a missing person report can cancel it.

A duty officer from the Hong Kong Police Public Relations Bureau tells CNN police are still investigating and the case continues to be classified as a missing person case.

Referring to Lee possibly being a British passport holder, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said Tuesday, "We can confirm that one of the individuals is a British Citizen, and we have urgently requested the Hong Kong and mainland authorities' assistance in ascertaining this individual's welfare and whereabouts."

"We encourage the Hong Kong SAR Government to honor its commitment to protecting the freedom of the press, and we hope the Chinese authorities will continue to make every effort to ensure that the environment in which the media and publishers operate in the Hong Kong SAR supports full and frank reporting."

Swedish national Gui Minhai, the owner of the publishing house, Mighty Current, that owns the bookstore, disappeared while on holiday in Thailand in October, the South China Morning Post reported.

Missing persons reports were also filed for three other associates in November, according to Hong Kong police and local media.

More protests planned for Wednesday
Protests were held outside Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong Sunday and Monday, with more on the way.

Scholarism, a pro-democracy student group in Hong Kong, noted it plans demonstrations midday Wednesday at the American consulate, British consulate and the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong.

This group has been critical of Beijing in the past, including massive protests in 2014.

Under the "one country, two systems" policy agreed as part of Britain's 1997 handover of its former colony to China, the 7 million residents of Hong Kong -- defined as a "Special Administrative Region" of China -- have greater civil liberties than those in the Mainland, though Beijing does sign off on its leaders.

But there have been growing concerns that some of these freedoms will go away as Beijing asserts more control.

With its protest Wednesday, Scholarism wants to pressure Britain to take responsibility of holding up the "one country, two systems" agreement and the United States to do its part.

Ho, the pro-democracy lawmaker, said that Hong Kong's government also "has a duty to assure (its) people ... are protected."

"Not only are mainland laws inapplicable in Hong Kong, no mainland officials, including law enforcement agencies, can take the law into their own hands in Hong Kong," said Ho.

An opinion piece published in the Global Times newspaper, a state-run tabloid, said it was meaningless to engage in political speculation about their disappearance.

Publisher known for books on political scandals
A woman walks past a book featuring a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and former Politburo member and Chongqing city party leader Bo Xilai on the cover, at the entrance of the closed Causeway Bay Bookstore, Sunday, January 3, 2016.
A woman walks past a book featuring a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and former Politburo member and Chongqing city party leader Bo Xilai on the cover, at the entrance of the closed Causeway Bay Bookstore, Sunday, January 3, 2016.
Mighty Current is known for publishing books on political scandals that are popular buys for mainland Chinese tourists visiting the city.

Ho said that Lee vanished Wednesday while delivering books to customers in Hong Kong.

His wife told CNN affiliate iCable that she later received a brief phone call from her husband from what appeared to be a Shenzhen number -- the southern Chinese city closest to Hong Kong.

A police source told the South China Morning Post that there was no record of Lee leaving the city. Ho said that Lee had told friends and family that he had no plans to visit mainland China given what had happened to his associates.

Alan Leong, a lawmaker and leader of the pro-democracy Civic Party, told CNN said that the disappearance of Lee and his colleagues had made Hong Kong residents anxious.

"Hong Kong citizens are entitled to feel safe walking in the streets of Hong Kong. Or to publish anything in Hong Kong."

"The speed with which the SAR government, or chief executive, have chosen to react to this incident that makes Hong Kong people anxious (and) leaves much to be desired."

Under mounting pressure to respond to the disappearance of so many critics of the Beijing government, Leung said that freedoms of press, publication and expression are legally protected in the former British colony.

Well.....
This is....interesting.
China pulling back on one China, two systems thing early?

[Grey Fox]

Pulling back? No. It is enforcing that Mainland China citizen have no freedom of press, no matter where they are in China.

[Berkut]

The idea that Hong Kong would be allowed to go on forever under vastly more liberal political constraints than the mainland is and always has been a pipe dream anyway.

It is simply not sustainable, and this is just a single example of how it cannot work. You cannot have a partially complete police state.

[Josquius]

The idea that Hong Kong would be allowed to go on forever under vastly more liberal political constraints than the mainland is and always has been a pipe dream anyway.

It is simply not sustainable, and this is just a single example of how it cannot work. You cannot have a partially complete police state.

That one country two systems wouldn't be forever seemed a bit of a given, though that they'd pull back from it so quickly is a little surprising.

Also, to an extent it does make sense to me to have Hong Kong as a little mostly free area yet still under China's control; Chinese citizens are going to go overseas and be exposed to the truth anyway, might as well make sure most of this goes on somewhere China can crack down when they feel the need.

[Monoriu]

There is a legal due date for One Country; Two Systems.  50 years after 1997, so the deadline has always been 2047.  The deed on my flat is only valid until then. 

It is huge news here, of course.  We kinda brought this upon ourselves with what people did two years ago.  As always, it is of utmost importance that we remain silent. 

[Eddie Teach]

There is a legal due date for One Country; Two Systems.  50 years after 1997, so the deadline has always been 2047.  The deed on my flat is only valid until then. 

So, elderly Mono will be homeless?

[Monoriu]

There is a legal due date for One Country; Two Systems.  50 years after 1997, so the deadline has always been 2047.  The deed on my flat is only valid until then. 

So, elderly Mono will be homeless?

I am not alone in this  All real estate contracts in HK are valid until 2047.  The common assumption is that they will simply extend the validity by decree a few decades from now.   

[alfred russel]

The idea that Hong Kong would be allowed to go on forever under vastly more liberal political constraints than the mainland is and always has been a pipe dream anyway.

It is simply not sustainable, and this is just a single example of how it cannot work. You cannot have a partially complete police state.

I think the mainland police state is breaking down faster than it is being extended to Hong Kong.

[Barrister]

The idea that Hong Kong would be allowed to go on forever under vastly more liberal political constraints than the mainland is and always has been a pipe dream anyway.

It is simply not sustainable, and this is just a single example of how it cannot work. You cannot have a partially complete police state.

I think the mainland police state is breaking down faster than it is being extended to Hong Kong.

What makes you say this?  I see nothing to indicate the Chinese police state is breaking down at all.

[citizen k]

What makes you say this?  I see nothing to indicate the Chinese police state is breaking down at all.

Everything breaks down. The only ingredient necessary is time.