Australian publisher pulls book amid China backlash fears
November 13, 2017
A book alleging wide Chinese influence on institutions in Australia has been pulled, with the publisher citing concerns of legal action from Beijing. Fears are growing that freedom of speech is being curbed from abroad.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Pacific Press
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Australian publisher Allen & Unwin is delaying plans to release a book alleging widespread Chinese political influence in the country because of fears of legal attacks from Beijing, the book's author said on Monday.
Academic Clive Hamilton said he had received an email on Wednesday from the publisher's CEO, Robert Gorman, citing concerns about Chinese government reaction to the book. The email, seen by news agencies, stated that there was a "very high chance" of a "defamation action" being pursued by Beijing.
Hamilton warned of dangers to free speechImage: gemeinfrei
Allen & Unwin , one of Australia's largest independent publishers, said in a statement on Sunday that it was delaying publication of the book "Silent Invasion"after receiving "extensive legal advice."
Hamilton, who is a well-known author and ethics professor at Charles Sturt University in the eastern city of Sydney, called the publisher's decision "a watershed moment in Australia, when Beijing can supress free speech."
'Very factual' book
He told the Reuters news agency in a telephone interview that his book, which he described as "very factual, very deeply researched," was the "first comprehensive national study of Beijing's program of exerting influence on another nation."
He said he had documented the influence of the Chinese Communist Party on Australian political parties, universities and cultural organizations, as well as on Chinese living in Australia.
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He says he will find another publisher for the work in the face of the delay.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Gen Ghuang, said on Monday that he was unaware of the issue, but stressed that China was intent on cooperating with Australia on the basis of "mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit."
The issue of the "soft power" exerted by Beijing in Australia has come increasingly to the forefront of political discourse in Australia over the past year.
In June, Canberra ordered an inquiry into activities by foreign governments after Australian media carried out an investigation into two Chinese billionaires who made large donations to political parties and had reported links to Beijing.
Chinese students have been warned on freedom of speechImage: picture-alliance/dpa/H. He
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has also told Chinese students in Australia that "openness and upholding freedom of speech" were among the nation's important values and should be abided by.
Her remarks came following cases at Australian universities where Chinese students have complained about professors teaching in a manner that went against Communist Party ideology, including referring to Hong Kong and Taiwan as independent countries.
Pressure from Beijing
It is not the first time that publishers outside China have felt pressured with regard to material that Beijing sees as problematic.
In August, Britain's Cambridge University Press removed 300 academic articles touching on delicate Chinese political issues from a journal's website in China at the request of an import agency. It reposted the articles following a public outcry.
The US-based Association for Asian Studies said in the same month that it had refused to comply with a request from China's publications administration to withdraw politically sensitive texts.
Beijing has said that all imported publications must be in line with Chinese laws and regulations.
Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover
Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty twenty years ago, after 156 years of British rule. The territory's history during this time has been marked by numerous protests against mainland China and the SARS pandemic.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
1997: Historic moment
The handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place on July 1, 1997. The territory on China's Pearl River Delta became a British colony in 1842 and was occupied by Japan during World War II. After Hong Kong's return to China, the political situation was described as "one country, two systems."
Image: Reuters/D. Martinez
1999: No family reunions
Divided families, who had been split by the Hong Kong border, had hoped to be reunited after the territory's return to China. But with a daily quota of only 150 mainland Chinese allowed to settle in Hong Kong, many were left disapointed. This photo from 1999 shows mainland Chinese visitors protesting outside Hong Kong's Legal Aid Department after they were denied residency permits.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2002: Dashed hopes
The residency issue flared up again in April 2002 when Hong Kong began deporting some 4,000 mainland Chinese who had lost legal battles to stay in the territory. These desperate families were evicted from a central park where they had been protesting.
Image: Reuters/K. Cheung
2003: The SARS pandemic hits
In 2003, the highly contagious SARS virus spread through Hong Kong. The territory was hard hit by the flu-like virus and in March, the WHO declared it a pandemic. This man attended Doctor Tse Yuen-man's funeral in May. Dr. Tse had volunteered to care for SARS patients and had contracted the virus herself. Hong Kong was declared SARS-free in June 2003. Almost 300 people had died of the disease.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2004: Rally for democracy
China's policy of "one country, two systems" has often created tension. In 2004, on the seventh anniversary of the handover, hundreds of thousands of people protested in Hong Kong, demanding political reform. They were calling for democracy and direct elections for Hong Kong's next leader.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2008: No place to live
Soaring property prices in Hong Kong forced rents higher. By 2008, it wasn't unusual to see people like Kong Siu-kau living in so-called "cage homes," 15-square-foot (1.4 square meters) wire mesh cubicles, eight of which were usually crammed into one room. Today an estimated 200,000 people call a wire cage, or a single bed in a shared apartment, home.
Image: Reuters/V. Fraile
2009: Remembering Tiananmen Square
On the twentieth anniversary of the government's brutal crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong residents gathered for a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park. It showed how different Hong Kong is from China, where the massacre of pro-democracy supporters and students on June 4, 1989, is usually only referred to as the June Fourth Incident.
Image: Reuters/A. Tam
2014: Occupy Central
Starting in September 2014, large-scale protests demanding more autonomy rocked Hong Kong for over two months. Beijing had announced that China would decide on the candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong's chief executive. The protests were referred to as the Umbrella Revolution, because protesters used umbrellas to fend off pepper spray and tear gas used by police.
Image: Reuters/T. Siu
2015: Sport becomes political
Less than a year after the Occupy Central protests ended, China played against Hong Kong in a soccer World Cup qualifiying match on November 17, 2015. The guests did not receive a friendly welcome in Hong Kong. Fans booed when the Chinese national anthem was played and held up posters saying "Hong Kong is not China." The match ended 0-0.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2016: Another bout of violence
In February 2016, Hong Kong's rough police tactics made headlines again. Authorities tried to remove illegal street vendors from a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood. They sent riot police, who used batons and pepper spray against protesters, and also fired live warning shots into the air. The street clashes were the worst since the Umbrella Revolution in 2014.
