Hong Kong bookstore chain Bookazine has declined to distribute a book penned by a political columnist, citing fears about the national security law.
In an opinion piece published in the Hong Kong Free Press Tuesday, Kent Ewing, a regular contributor on the media outlet, said that Bookazine had refused to distribute his recently completed title, “Hong Kong on the Frontline.”
According to Ewing, Bookazine told his publisher, FormAsia, in an email that they would not stock the book as the store is “trying to stay under the radar and because of the new legislation.”
Separately, FormAsia also informed Ewing of other obstacles—including that they had not been able to find a printer willing to print the book, and that the book’s designers were distancing themselves from the title.
“FormAsia has run up against a brick wall. Under current political circumstances FormAsia won’t (can’t) publish “On The FrontLine” for a string of reasons,” FormAsia told Ewing in a Sept. 19 email.
The book was slated for release in the fall.
Coconuts reached out to Bookazine and FormAsia for comment but has not heard back at the time of writing.
Ewing told Coconuts that he was extremely disappointed in Bookazine, especially since the publisher, FormAsia, had hired lawyers to vet the book for possible national security violations. None were found.
Even under the tense political climate, Ewing said he did not expect that his book would be axed.
“What I failed to realize was the fear factor that the national security law had generated,” Ewing said. “The law is deliberately vague about what constitutes subversion, collusion with foreign forces… and so, fearful of falling afoul of it, publishers and booksellers now simply choose to steer clear of politically charged topics.”
Ewing has been a regular contributor to Hong Kong Free Press for five years, publishing sharp, concisely worded analyses often critical of the Beijing and Hong Kong governments amid the city’s changing political landscape.
Let's keep up the fight for press freedom in Hong Kong. pic.twitter.com/Mg2YqZSpMU
— Kent Ewing (@KentEwing1) October 7, 2019
His first article on the local outlet—about Alibaba’s controversial acquisition of South China Morning Post—dates back to Dec. 2015.
Ewing said his book, “Hong Kong on the Frontline,” probes the city’s tumultuous political journey since 1997, consisting of 12 essays on topics such as the 2014 Occupy Movement and Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s administration.
He has also written for publications including pre-Alibaba South China Morning Post and Asia Times.
When asked whether he will continue his political commentary, Ewing said: “My writing will continue, no holds barred.”
