Sept. 23 – China has become involved in a diplomatic row with the Frankfurt Book Fair organizers and the German government over the inclusion of Chinese dissidents Bei Ling and Dai Qing in the event’s list of participants.
China is this year’s guest of honor for at the Frankfurt Book Fair called “China and the World – Perceptions and Realities.” The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest fair of its type with 7,000 publishers, 2,900 events and 10,000 journalists expected to participate.
The event also includes more than 2,000 Chinese publishers in addition to the attendance of Chinese artists, writers and poets. Asia Briefing Ltd., the publisher of this website, will also be participating in the event.
The event organizers have decided to heed the request of the Chinese organizing committee to cancel appearances by journalist and environment activist Dai Qing, and poet Bei Ling, critics of China’s policies in environmental protection and human rights, in the event.
“It was only under these conditions that official China was prepared to participate in this event,” Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair Juergen Booshe said in a statement. “We decided, under difficult circumstances and after consulting with the co-operation partners, to allow the conversation to go forward and not to cancel the event.”
The Dai and Bei’s appearance in the event was canceled only for the German PEN Club of Independent Writers to step in and offer them a slot as guests. The row has now reached the German Chancellors office with Angela Merkel being asked to intervene. In Germany, it is now being questioned whether China should have been given the honor of being chosen as guest nation at all.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying: “Two principles apply at the Frankfurt Book Fair: Guests should be treated as guests and art without freedom is inconceivable.” China meanwhile also refuses to budge.
The Frankfurt Book Fair takes place in Messegelände in Frankfurt from October 14 to 18.
