China censors Thomas Piketty’s book that touches on nation’s growing inequality
- President Xi Jinping heaped lavish praise on French economist’s first book Capital in the 21st Century, which critiqued the failings of capitalism
- But Piketty says his latest book on inequality is unavailable in the mainland because he has refused to allow sections critical of China’s wealth gap to be censored
When French economist Thomas Piketty published his acclaimed Capital in the 21st Century in 2013, an in-depth critique of modern capitalism and inequality, it was an immediate hit upon release in China, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.
But Piketty’s new book Capital and Ideology, which expands on the theme of inequality, looks increasingly unlikely to have the same success after falling foul of China’s censors.
Published outside China last year, it has yet to be launched in the mainland due to demands from Piketty’s Chinese publisher, Citic Press Group, that all parts of the book related to inequality in China be cut.
I refused these conditions, so at this stage it looks as if Capital and Ideology won’t be published in China
“I refused these conditions, so at this stage it looks as if Capital and Ideology won’t be published in China,” Piketty told the South China Morning Post by email.
In a response, Citic Press Group said they are honored to work with Piketty on Capital in the 21st Century, and the copyright of his new book is still under negotiation.
Book censorship is often a precondition for release in China, where the ruling Communist Party keeps tight control over what can be published, broadcast or shared online.
While Piketty’s new book by no means targets China, it spends several pages talking about the party’s tolerance for rising inequality, the opacity of official data on income and wealth distribution, and the paradox between a socialist political system and a highly unequal society.