Australian publisher delays book release, fearing legal action from China
Beijing — One of Australia’s largest independent publishers said it decided to delay the publication of a book which alleges widespread Chinese government influence in Australian institutions, due to legal concerns. Sydney-based Allen & Unwin said in a statement on Sunday that it decided to delay publication of the book, Silent Invasion, following "extensive legal advice". It said the book’s author, Clive Hamilton, was unwilling to delay publication and requested the return of the book’s rights. Hamilton said the publisher’s chief executive, Robert Gorman, sent him an e-mail on Wednesday saying that the reason for the delay was due to concerns over possible legal action from Beijing. The e-mail from Gorman, which was reviewed by Reuters, said the scheduled publishing date of April next year "was too soon to publish the book and allow us to adequately guard against potential threats to the book and the company from possible action by Beijing". The e-mail cited fears of a "defamation ...
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