 Jung Chang among leading authors blocked from Macau literature festival Hong Kong (AFP) March 7, 2018 - Three writers -- including bestselling "Wild Swans" author Jung Chang -- will no longer attend the Macau Literary Festival after authorities there said they were likely to be barred, the latest sign of Beijing's hardening line across its territories. Macau is a semi-autonomous part of China and the move to scupper the writers comes as Beijing ramps up warnings against any challenges to its authority and sovereignty. London-based Chang has been highly critical of China's political system. Her works, which include an explosive biography of Mao Zedong, have been banned on the mainland. The two other authors targeted by officials have both written in-depth about North Korea, which counts China as its main ally and diplomatic defender. "We were informed informally, unofficially, that it was not considered timely that these guests would come to Macau at this moment and that there was a high probability that they would not be allowed to enter Macau," the festival's co-founder and programme director H�lder Beja told AFP. Beja said the information had come from "the relevant authorities" but did not want to expand further. He confirmed that the authors had been informed and would now not attend the event which will kick off Monday. "We advised them not to come because we did not want to put them in that position," Beja told AFP. Some pro-democracy activists and Hong Kong journalists have in the past been barred from entering Macau, where the partially elected local government is loyal to Beijing. New York-based author and investigative journalist Suki Kim, who went undercover to write a bestselling book about life in North Korea, was one of the three writers to fall foul of authorities, says Beja. The third was James Church, a pseudonym used by a former Western intelligence officer who has written a series of novels about a fictional North Korean policeman called Inspector O. Beja said Church had been set to speak publicly about his work at the festival while Chang and Kim would also have talked about their major titles. A report from China's rubber-stamp legislature Monday omitted language supporting the political autonomy of Hong Kong and Macau that had featured prominently in previous years, seen as a signal of a hardening stance. Beja said he had never before experienced interference since the event first started in 2012. Better-known as a gambling enclave, Macau has a thriving arts scene and the festival pulled in 15,000 visitors last year. Hong Kong PEN, a literary campaign group which defends freedom of expression, described the author ban as "deplorable". "We urge the Macau administration not to use access to their city as a covert tool of political control in determining what kind of books are deemed acceptable," it said in a statement. The Macau government had no immediate response when contacted by AFP for comment.
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China is set to pass its first constitutional amendments in 14 years this weekend, but at Wednesday's public discussion on the changes, delegates seemed more interested in talking about beef noodles and taking naps.
No one expected dissent as legislators from the northwest provinces of Gansu and Qinghai gathered in Beijing's cavernous Great Hall of the People Wednesday to deliberate changes to the nation's most important legal document.
There is little suspense about the outcome of Sunday's momentous vote to institute a number of major constitutional revisions including a decision to remove presidential term limits, opening a path for the current leader Xi Jinping to rule for life.
The 3,000 legislators of the National People's Congress fill a mostly ceremonial role. The real decisions have already been made by the ruling Communist Party.
But even so, Wednesday's two open sessions seemed remarkably free of substantive discussion about the consequential legal reform.
At the Qinghai meeting, delegates sat in a horseshoe as men in grey suits droned on about the work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang to kick off the parliamentary session on Monday.
Ethnic minority representatives in the colourful robes of Tibet and Mongolia looked on. A couple of men wore the white skull caps typical of the region's Hui Muslims.
They were nominally there to discuss the constitutional revisions, which include the rollout of a national anti-graft body, a larger role for the Communist Party and the addition of Xi's eponymous political philosophy.
His "thought is extremely close to the public's will, the public's hearts, and is suitable for the totality of the undertakings of the Party and the nation", said delegate Zhang Yongli, in comments that were echoed by everyone around him.
Half the session was spent reading out prepared speeches about issues such as environmental protection and clean energy. One delegate reached over and gently pinched a neighbour who had fallen asleep.
In the ochre marble room hosting the Gansu meeting, the "deliberations" were more about reading prepared remarks than debating the constitutional amendments.
"The changes are people-centred and full of warmth," gushed Yang Hairong, president of a women's association in her village and an ethnic Yugur dressed in a traditional conical white hat sprouting a tuft of red fringe.
Fan Peng, a member of Gansu's local legislature, said he had listened to the advice of regular people, intellectuals and relatives after the constitutional amendment was proposed.
"Everyone I saw, without exception, completely supports the Communist Party proposal," Fan said.
His words echo the party's claim that "the masses" unanimously approve the amendment, even though many Chinese people have expressed their disapproval on social media, prompting censors to block their views.
When journalists were allowed to ask questions, Chinese reporters focused their queries on development, poverty, tourism and food, prompting a discussion about Gansu's famous Lanzhou noodles.
None of the questions were about the constitutional amendments.
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