Opposition camp’s diminished presence at Hong Kong Book Fair allows opportunity for pro-establishment voices, authors say

Opposition-leaning media ‘have retreated under the national security law’, one author says, leaving spotlight to pro-establishment writers

Regina Ip’s booth was visited by several senior officials, while 10 pro-establishment authors launched new book series on their political views

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Attendees gather at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair on Saturday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 8:21pm, 19 Jul 2021Updated: 11:14pm, 19 Jul 2021

Pro-establishment writers and politicians have hailed the Hong Kong Book Fair as an opportunity to promote their views amid the diminished presence of the opposition camp at this year’s event, brushing aside worries among some residents that long-held freedoms of publication and expression are shrinking.

The annual book fair, one of the largest of its kind in the world, kicked off this month after a one-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It is also the city’s first since Beijing’s imposition of the national security law, with fears over the legislation prompting some publishers to refrain from selling books penned by opposition figures.

The city’s pro-establishment camp, however, has taken the new climate as an opportunity, with prominent figures continuing to publish books amid what they see as more favourable media coverage and increased political support from lawmakers and senior officials this year.

“Yellow media has become the mainstream in recent years, especially during the protests,” said author Thomas Chan Man-hung, referring to the colour associated with supporters of 2019’s anti-government demonstrations. “But they have retreated under the national security law, and that allowed the coverage from other media outlets to stand out.”

“There was also media coverage on pro-establishment writers in the past. They were just hidden among the reports from those yellow media.”

Veteran criminal lawyer Cheng Huan and lawmaker and former security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee were among the pro-establishment voices promoting new books at this year’s fair. Ip was at the event on Sunday to meet attendees, with the city’s security, home affairs, constitutional affairs and technology ministers all swinging by to visit her booth.

Lawmaker and former security chief Regina Ip was promoting a new book at the fair over the weekend. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Opposition camp’s diminished presence at Hong Kong Book Fair allows opportunity for pro-establishment voices, authors say

Opposition-leaning media ‘have retreated under the national security law’, one author says, leaving spotlight to pro-establishment writers Regina Ip’s booth was visited by several senior officials, while 10 pro-establishment authors launched new book series on their political views

Opposition-leaning media ‘have retreated under the national security law’, one author says, leaving spotlight to pro-establishment writers

Regina Ip’s booth was visited by several senior officials, while 10 pro-establishment authors launched new book series on their political views