Czech Publisher Defies Chinese Pressure, Displays Taiwan Flags at Prague Book Fair

May 19, 2025: In a strong statement against political interference, Czech publisher Mi:Lu Publishing prominently displayed two Taiwan flags at the Book World Prague international book fair, resisting pressure from the Chinese delegation to remove them. The four-day event concluded on Sunday, according to a report from Taiwan News.

Despite explicit requests from Chinese representatives to take the flags down, Mi:Lu Publishing stood firm, attracting attention and support from both local Czech and Taiwanese visitors. Editor-in-Chief Tzu-hsuan told Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) that the stand became a symbol of solidarity, with many attendees stopping by to express their encouragement. The publisher also received a wave of online support.

According to CNA, the Chinese delegation had demanded the removal of the flags, turning the incident into a focal point for discussions on censorship and foreign political influence in cultural events.

Tomas Rizek, founder of Mi:Lu Publishing, told Czech Radio that they hadn’t originally planned to display the Taiwan flag. “But when they told us that Taiwan didn’t exist, we decided we needed to change the design of our stand,” he said. Rizek also described a woman—believed to be affiliated with the Chinese embassy—repeatedly photographing the booth and its flags, an act he interpreted as surveillance. When his colleague offered her a book, she declined and clarified she wasn’t photographing the books.

Rizek responded by photographing the woman, who was later seen at the Chinese publishing delegation’s booth. When approached by Czech Radio, she refused to comment, responding in Chinese that she had no statement to make.

This apparent surveillance raised concerns about intimidation tactics. Book fair director Radovan Auer acknowledged that the incident wasn’t isolated, saying that the Taiwan-supporting booth had been frequently photographed by individuals associated with the Chinese delegation.

“Rizek handles it with grace—he even offers them his books in Chinese,” Auer said, reaffirming the fair’s commitment to openness. “We are strict about Russia as a terrorist state, but otherwise, we try to be as inclusive as possible.”

Auer also revealed that Chinese pressure began before the fair opened, with requests to remove Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office logos from the event website. Those demands, like the one regarding the Taiwan flags, were rejected. “We are in a democratic country and Book World is a private institution,” Auer said.