How an escalating crackdown on Hong Kong’s independent bookstores put Taiwan publishers in the spotlight

Independent bookstores in Hong Kong are facing an escalating crackdown, with staff from four shops arrested this year on suspicion of sedition. The latest incident involved "Have a Nice Stay," which was forced to close permanently after its staff were arrested shortly after announcing its planned closure due to financial difficulties and "unclear" political red lines.

"Have a Nice Stay" was not scheduled to close until August 30, but arrests for alleged sedition under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23, occurred just a day after the bookstore announced its winding down. Greenfield Bookstore also experienced arrests on the same day and announced its closure two weeks later. Elmbook had announced its shutdown in early July.

These arrests follow similar incidents involving Book Punch in March and Hunter Bookstore in June. Independent bookshops have also been increasingly barred from the annual Hong Kong Book Fair since 2022. Even established retailers with decades of history, like Elmtree and Luck Win, have become targets, despite not being known for attracting government scrutiny.

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I didn’t think it would be shut already.

The recent wave of arrests has highlighted the close ties between Hong Kong's independent booksellers and Taiwanese publishers. Taiwan is the world's largest producer of traditional Chinese books, and many Hong Kong shops rely heavily on these publications. Customs recently intercepted "a batch of books with seditious intention" shipped from overseas, reportedly originating from Taiwan. Titles like "Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China," which features interviews with persecuted groups and Hong Kong protesters in exile, have been named among the intercepted materials.

The intensified actions by national security police and customs have fueled concerns about the future of independent bookstores and freedom of expression in Hong Kong, particularly given the city's reliance on Taiwanese publishers for a significant portion of its book market.

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I am staff of a bookstore.