Five men connected with Hong Kong publisher Mighty Wind and its bookstore, Causeway Bay Books, have disappeared from Hong Kong and Thailand in recent months, allegedly taken to Shenzhen, China, although their actual whereabouts are unknown.
The abductions are worrying Hong Kongers and have caught the attention of international media. As observers think Chinese officials are involved, the international community sees the matter as a severe test of freedom of expression in Hong Kong and of the “one country, two systems” policy.
The Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, has said that some books published in Hong Kong have smeared the reputation of party leaders, confirming that the two firms are in trouble for having insulted the leadership in Beijing.
Several media outlets have said the firms might have angered China by preparing a book about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) love life, and that China therefore turned to Hong Kong organized crime to kidnap the shop’s shareholders and staff.
Civilized countries have clear laws protecting freedom of expression, and their governments and politicians are very tolerant — these are cornerstones of democratic and civilized societies. Once freedom of expression is violated, oversight of the political system and checks and balances disappear, and anti-corruption mechanisms and the public’s ideas and actions are severely restricted as fear creeps into every corner of society.
Scandals involving politicians in democracies occur on a daily basis, and anyone who wants to enter politics must accept public scrutiny. Regardless of the contents of the books published by Mighty Wind, kidnapping and detaining people linked to it and its store are wrong. If these actions were sanctioned by the Chinese government, that would be even more unforgivable, as it would mean that the government has gone beyond the law to exact private revenge on citizens, which is a violation of democracy and the rule of law that cannot be tolerated in civilized society.
Today is the anniversary of the attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo, and two of the attackers who killed 11 of the magazine’s staff and a police officer are still on the loose. Even if one does not agree with Charlie Hebdo’s methods or standards, the attack was condemned across the world, and rather than disappearing, the magazine is still around and has received a great deal of international attention.
When Chinese-American writer Henry Liu (劉宜良), who also went under the pseudonym Chiang Nan (江南), published a biography of then-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), the Military Intelligence Bureau sent members of the Bamboo Union gang to the US to assassinate him. The episode is a dark chapter in Taiwan’s history, and although it was never determined conclusively whether the assassination occurred at the behest of Chiang or if his subordinates acted independently, the Chiang Nan case, as it has come to be known, is to forever tarnish Chiang’s reputation and is a milestone on Taiwan’s road toward democracy and freedom of expression.
The effects of violent suppression of the freedom of expression are short lived, and public debate is certain to rise again. The Chinese leadership must understand that China is a member of the global community, and as such, it must act according to international standards. It cannot continue to isolate itself and behave like a feudal emperor in total disregard of the law. Doing so will not only be unacceptable to its citizens, it will also be criticized by the international community.
Although Hong Kong is a territory of China, it exists within the “one country, two systems” framework, so when the Chinese government kidnaps people in complete disregard of Hong Kong’s public sentiment, it insults Hong Kong’s government and frightens its residents, while Taiwanese get to clearly see what China is really all about.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of