This year’s Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Mo Yan (莫言), who has been criticized for his membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and reluctance to speak out against the country’s government, on Thursday defended censorship as something as necessary as airport security checks.
Mo also suggested he would not join an appeal calling for the release of jailed 2010 Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), a fellow writer and compatriot.
Mo has been criticized by human rights activists for not being a more outspoken defender of freedom of speech and for supporting the CCP-backed writers’ association, of which he is vice president.
His comments at the news conference in Stockholm appear unlikely to soften his critics’ views toward him.
Awarding him the literature prize has also brought criticism from previous winners. Herta Mueller, the 2009 literature laureate, called the jury’s choice of Mo a “catastrophe” in an interview with the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter last month. She also accused Mo of protecting the Asian country’s censorship laws.
Mo said he did not feel that censorship should stand in the way of truth, but that any defamation, or rumors, “should be censored.”
“But I also hope that censorship, per se, should have the highest principle,” he said in comments translated by an interpreter from Chinese into English.
Mo is spending several days in Stockholm before receiving his prestigious prize at an awards ceremony on Monday.
In addressing the sensitive issue of censorship in China, Mo likened it to the thorough security procedures he was subjected to as he traveled to Stockholm.
“When I was taking my flight, going through the customs ... they also wanted to check me — even taking off my belt and shoes,” he said. “But I think these checks are necessary.”
Mo also dodged questions about Liu, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for co-authoring a bold call to end China’s single-party rule and enacting democratic reforms.
“On the same evening of my winning the prize, I already expressed my opinion, and you can get online to make a search,” he said, telling reporters that he hoped they would not press him on the subject of Liu.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated that Liu is a convicted criminal.
Asked whether the Chinese government had instructed Mo not to talk about Liu, ministry spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) said: “I want to point out that Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to imprisonment by China’s judicial authorities for violating laws.”
When asked at a daily news briefing, Hong said he did not know about the fate of Liu Xia (劉霞), the wife of Liu Xiaobo, who has been held under house arrest for two years following her husband’s Nobel win.
“I am not aware of what you mentioned, but I want to point out that the legitimate rights of citizens are protected by the rule of law,” he said.
In her first interview in 26 months, Liu Xia told The Associated Press on Thursday that her continuing house arrest in response to her husband’s Nobel prize was absurd. She appeared frail and explained that she has a back injury that frequently keeps her confined to bed.
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
RSS