What Happens in Hong Kong Stays in China

02-05-2016

 

China Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang

The Chinese government insists what happens in China--or in this case, Hong Kong--stays in China. A government spokesman says the actions China takes--even in violation of international law are none of your business.

At the beginning of this Chinese New Year, China police have finally admitted they're investigating some Hong Kong booksellers suspected of conducting "illegal activities."

Since last October, the five publishers have mysteriously disappeared. They're now being held on the mainland, but only Chinese government officials seem to know where. So far, they're not telling.

Lui Bo, General Manager ofMighty Current publishing, and business manager Cheung Jiping were apparently abducted by police as they visited mainland China. Gui Minhai went missing from Thailand, and two other booksellers--Lam Wingkei and Lee Bo were abducted--in violation of international law--from Hong Kong.

Their publishing house and its affiliate were set to release a fictional book about Chinese President Xi Jin Ping titled, Xi Jinping and His Lovers. Mighty Current has also published a number of books deemed too political for distribution in Mainland China.

Pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong say the men were taken against their will because the Beijing government wants to silence those with whom it disagrees--not just on the mainland, but also in Hong Kong where free speech and democracy have flourished. Government officials insist the five men turned themselves in voluntarily.

Several western governments--including The United States have called on the Chinese to release the booksellers.  But China Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reminded reporters today that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, "thus Hong Kong affairs is China's internal affairs. We firmly oppose any other country to arbitrarily meddle in China's internal affairs."

But Gui is Swedish, and Lee is British, so this is not just a Chinese domestic matter, it's an international affair. Those countries have a responsibility to protect their citizens, and defend international law and free speech in Hong Kong, or anywhere else.

This is the start of the year of the fire monkey--an adventurous, but irritable primate. 

What better time than this for China's leaders to release the five publishers, overcome their irritability about books they find offensive, and venture into an era of mercy and freedom?

 

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