Chinese authorities detain Taiwanese publisher

A Taiwan-based publisher who disappeared while in China has been detained for suspected violations of security laws, Chinese authorities confirmed on Wednesday, fanning fears in Taiwan that Beijing is sending a warning to the island's vibrant publishing industry.

Li Yanhe, also known by his pen name Fu Cha, is a Chinese citizen who has been living in Taiwan since 2009. Gusa Publishing, a Taiwanese firm, is renowned for its books that cast a critical eye on China's ruling Communist Party. He had returned to China early last month to visit relatives, but fell out of contact shortly after, according to his colleagues and friends.

Mr. Li's detention is a significant blow and will have a chilling effect, said Bei Ling, a writer from China living in Taiwan. The basic signs of an open society worldwide are publishing houses, publishers, and freedom of the press. I don t think he should be condemned in this way just because he published books that are acceptable to China. The detention of Mr. Li could become a new test case in already tense ties between Taiwan and China. Taiwan is a part of China that must accept unification, according to Beijing, a self-governing democracy. But many in Taiwan reject Beijing's claim and have been repelled by the authoritarian rule of China's leader Xi Jinping, including his crackdown in Hong Kong, which has chille publishing and stifled many liberties such as the right to protest.