Key facts
- Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who sold books critical of Chinese leadership, died in Taiwan at age 70.
- Lam was detained by Chinese agents in 2015 and later sought refuge in Taiwan in 2019.
- He reopened his bookstore, "Causeway Bay Books," in Taiwan in 2020.
- Lam died of advanced stage four lung cancer.
- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences and vowed to protect democracy and human rights.
Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller known for selling titles critical of Chinese leadership and who had been detained by Chinese agents, has died of advanced stage four lung cancer in Taiwan at the age of 70. Lam was admitted to Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on June 30 and was pronounced dead on the evening of July 2, according to Taiwanese media reports cited by the South China Morning Post.
Lam had sought refuge in Taiwan in 2019 after being detained by Chinese agents in 2015. His bookstore in Hong Kong, "Causeway Bay Books," specialized in works critical of the Chinese Communist Party and its leadership. The disappearances of Lam and four other booksellers in late 2015 generated significant controversy and undermined confidence in China's commitment to Hong Kong's freedoms.
After his release and subsequent move to Taiwan, Lam reopened "Causeway Bay Books" in Taipei in 2020. The shop became a gathering place for individuals who had fled Hong Kong amid fears of growing Chinese control. Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen had visited the shop. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences, stating that Lam's courage would not disappear and that Taiwan remains determined to protect democracy, freedom, and human rights.