A recent police operation targeting independent bookstores in Hong Kong has prompted significant expressions of solidarity from Taiwan, highlighting growing regional concerns over freedom of expression under increasing pressure from Beijing. Last week, authorities in Hong Kong conducted raids on two independent bookstores, resulting in the arrest of five individuals suspected of selling publications deemed to contain “seditious” material, a charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years under the city’s national security law.
The identities of the specific books involved have not been officially confirmed by Hong Kong authorities. However, speculation has centered around titles critical of Chinese Communist Party leadership, including *Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China*, authored by NPR journalist Emily Feng. Following news of the arrests, the Taiwanese publisher Acropolis Publishing reported a surge in demand, prompting an emergency reprint of 10,000 copies. Senior editor Sara Sung noted that many buyers were motivated by a commitment to democracy and resistance against censorship.
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, defended the raids, asserting that booksellers bear responsibility for ensuring their materials comply with the law, drawing an analogy to merchants being accountable for the safety of the food they sell. While the five arrested individuals have since been released on bail, the incident marks the third time in recent months that persons associated with independent bookstores in Hong Kong have faced detention.
In Taiwan, a territory that remains self-governing and distinct from the People’s Republic of China, the bookstore raids have sparked widespread discussion and online activism. The phrase “I am a bookstore employee,” initially displayed on a T-shirt worn by one arrested bookseller, has been adopted as a hashtag by activists, legislators, and booksellers across Taiwanese social media platforms. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed support via Facebook, emphasizing that ideas and words should not be suppressed by political pressure.
The case resonates deeply given Taiwan’s political status and its fraught relationship with mainland China. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has proposed governance under a “one country, two systems” model similar to Hong Kong—a concept widely rejected by over 80% of the Taiwanese population. Politicians from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which opposes closer integration with China, have used Hong Kong’s experience as a cautionary example. However, experts suggest that while rhetorical support has grown, practical assistance, such as offering refuge to those fleeing Hong Kong, has been limited.
The story of Lam Wing-kee, a prominent Hong Kong bookseller arrested by Chinese authorities in 2015 who later fled to Taiwan and reopened his bookstore, underscores the complexities of regional dynamics. Lam passed away earlier this month, and his Taipei bookstore remains a symbolic site, adorned with tributes from supporters.
Readers in Taiwan, some previously uninterested in Chinese political matters, have shown increased engagement with the issues through demand for censored books and public discourse. One student from Fujian province remarked on the censorship prevailing in mainland China and expressed concern that independent thought is no longer tolerated even in Hong Kong.
As pressure intensifies on Hong Kong’s independent media and cultural institutions, Taiwan’s reaction highlights broader regional anxieties over the erosion of freedoms and the contest over ideological control in the Chinese-speaking world.