Hong Kong checks ‘almost every book shipment from Taiwan’

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has said Hong Kong customs has stepped up scrutiny of “almost every book shipment” from the island, while a logistics company has separately told bookstores to ensure their orders will not breach the city’s national security laws.

Independent bookstores and logistics companies also confirmed on Wednesday that customs had stepped up checks on book shipments from Taiwan in recent months.

In a reply to the South China Morning Post, a spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department said it was fully committed to safeguarding national security and would seize any seditious items discovered and refer cases to police.

The MAC told the SCMP the increase in inspections followed amendments in March to the implementation rules of Hong Kong’s national security law, which empower authorities to seize items deemed seditious.

“Since March and April this year, almost all orders of books from Taiwan have been checked by Hong Kong customs; compared with once every several months previously, the checks are more frequent,” an MAC spokesman said.

The spokesman expressed concern that Hong Kong authorities were continually curtailing the freedom of speech and publication, saying Taiwan would always welcome Hongkongers to “read and purchase books”.