Hong Kong Book Fair promises there will be no book pre-screening, but emphasises that exhibitors must follow the law

on Jul 20, 2022

According to the primary organiser, none of the books being sold at the Hong Kong Book Fair have been pre-screened, and exhibitors are required to follow the law. At a press conference on Tuesday, Sophia Chong, the deputy executive director at HKTDC, was questioned on how the organiser would handle "restricted literature." Chong stated that all non-violent and non-obscene publications were acceptable and that the HKTDC had not been vetting books prior to their sale at the exhibition.

If members of the public file complaints, they will be handled in accordance with the terms and conditions of the exhibition, according to Chong. She continued by saying that the HKTDC will merely keep a record of such complaints and assist with any legal inquiries.

"If there is a problem, it will not be our responsibility to determine if the content of a book is in violation of any laws," Chong said, adding that all exhibitors must follow both the law and the fair's guidelines.

A teacher who was hurt in the 2019 protests and turmoil started Hillway Press, one of at least three independent book publishers, and she was denied permission to participate in the book fair this year.

The HKTDC stated in response to a prior inquiry from HKFP over the exclusion of the three that it would not comment on specific cases. Last week, Hillway Press and other retailers attempted to conduct an independent book fair, but had to postpone it one day before it was scheduled to begin because the owner of the site claimed they had broken the lease.

Similar to last year, Chong predicted that 700 exhibitors would participate in the 2022 book fair, but several foreign publishers would be absent due to the city's Covid border controls.

Since the government's electronic consumption voucher programme encourages spending and the new Exhibition Centre MTR Station makes getting to the venue easier, she expressed confidence in the presence of large crowds.