US Group: Foreign Authors Censored in China Without Knowing

A U.S.-based advocacy group is warning Western authors to be vigilant of censorship of their work in China's fast-growing book publishing industry. Sometimes it's done without their knowledge.

A report released Wednesday from the PEN American Center says excisions from translated versions of foreign books can be because of political sensitivities, like Taiwan, Tibet and the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on democracy protesters. But references to sexually explicit material and gay and lesbian issues are also frowned upon.

The report intends to draw attention to how pervasive Chinese censorship could affect writers as China takes an increasingly prominent place in the global publishing industry. China will be the regional focus of this year's BookExpo America in New York next week, with a delegation of hundreds of state writers and publishers.