Thomas Piketty refuses to censor latest book for sale in China 2020 08 31 en

The latest book by the French economist Thomas Piketty appears unlikely to be sold in mainland China after he refused requests to censor it. The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has expressed admiration for Pikettys work, but Capital and Ideology, which was published last year, has not made it to the mainland China market due to sections on inequality in the country. Piketty told the Guardian the Chinese publisher Citic Press had sent his French publisher a list of 10 pages of requested cuts in June from the French edition of the book, and a further list in August related to the English edition. I refused these conditions and told them that I would only accept a translation with no cut of any sort. They basically wanted to cut almost all parts referring to contemporary China, and in particular to inequality and opacity in China, he said. Other Chinese publishers who have been in touch with my French publisher Le Seuil also said there would be cuts, so at this stage it looks as if the book will not be published in mainland China. Citic Press told the South China Morning Post that negotiations on the copyright of the book were still under way. Censorship in China is widespread and applies to books, news websites (including the Guardian), pop culture, and huge swathes of the internet and online platforms. Xi has previously referenced Pikettys work, including his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. As recently as this month, Xi wrote in an essay that Pikettys work on US inequality was worthy of our consideration. Just because Xi has personally cited Pikettys last book doesnt mean Pikettys not subject to vetting, said Dali L Yang, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, who focuses on modern Chinese politics. Its even more so that he must abide by the politics. Xi has vowed to eradicate rural poverty by the end of 2020 an ambitious goal even before the economic damage