Two British publishing houses have self-censored books in order to have them printed in China, omitting references to Taiwan and ‘dissidents’, two unidentified individuals acquainted with the matter informed the Financial Times.
Picture-book publisher Quarto deleted any references to Taiwan and Ai Weiwei, a dissident artist from Hong Kong, in two different publications. Another book was changed to describe ‘East Asian’ people in place of Taiwanese.
The publisher Octopus Books has likewise apparently gotten rid of any referral to Taiwan from a minimum of 2 books. While the island nation of Taiwan views itself as an independent nation, China has long preserved that it is inseparable from the mainland. China’s Air Force has repeatedly flown sorties into Taiwanese air space over the previous 2 years.
Both publishers supposedly changed the text of certain books after Chinese providers said they could not print the initial text under Chinese law. Books with especially sensitive topics were supposedly printed beyond China.
Quarto denied altering the text of books upon demand of the provider, in remarks to the Financial Times. A representative said the company has “a fiduciary task to act in the best interests of our shareholders.”
Octopus Books also claimed that any changes to books “are not material and we always ask the permission of the author first to check they are comfortable to proceed.”
The report marks the first evidence that books offered in western nations are censored in order to be printed in China, according to the Times.
International businesses and organizations deal with different concerns when running operations in China, based on the Chinese Communist Party’s censorship of topics considered ‘sensitive’ to the country. In one of the most recent examples, Chinese authorities alerted athletes competing at the Winter season Olympics in February not to state anything “against the Olympic spirit.”
“Any behavior or speech that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment,” Yang Shu, the Beijing Organizing Committee’s deputy director of international relations, told reporters with an air of definite menace.
H/T National Review
