Veteran Hong Kong pro-democracy bookseller Lam Wing-kee, a prominent figure who drew global attention for his defiance of Beijing and eventual exile in Taiwan, has passed away at the age of 70 following a battle with lung cancer. According to regional media reports, Lam breathed his last at Taipei’s Mackay Memorial Hospital late Thursday, two days after he was admitted to the facility and slipped into a coma.
Lam’s decades-long life became a high-profile symbol of resistance against eroding free expression in Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a framework guaranteeing separate civil liberties not extended to the mainland. His story first made international headlines in 2015, when he was detained by Chinese authorities during a routine trip to mainland China. Held for more than 400 days, he was one of five Causeway Bay Books staff and owners targeted in a sweeping crackdown on Hong Kong bookstores that sold political texts critical of China’s ruling Communist Party elite. Lam later publicly refuted a televised confession aired by Chinese state media, describing it as a forced, scripted performance that did not reflect his true views.
His detention and subsequent escape from custody sparked widespread global alarm over creeping authoritarian influence on Hong Kong’s long-protected freedoms, laying early groundwork for the massive, months-long pro-democracy protests that rocked the territory in 2019. That same year, facing new risks of rendition to the mainland under a proposed Hong Kong extradition bill that triggered the mass demonstrations, Lam fled Hong Kong for self-exile in Taiwan, an island democracy that Beijing claims as its own territory with no international recognition.
After relocating to Taipei, Lam fulfilled a long-held goal by reopening his iconic Causeway Bay Books in exile. Taiwanese authorities at the time hailed the reestablished store as a powerful symbol of democratic resilience and commitment to free speech for communities from Hong Kong who had resettled on the island. In what would become his final major interview, speaking with BBC’s *Witness History* series in 2024, Lam reflected on his lifelong principles: “Everyone has their own values. You can’t go against your values, nor can you betray others. If you believe something is right, you should continue to stick to it. It’s not like you’re harming anyone. If everyone could do that, this would of course be a better place.”
News of Lam’s death drew immediate tributes from across Taiwan’s political sphere. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te published a statement on his official Facebook page expressing profound sorrow over the passing, extending condolences to Lam’s family and friends. “Lam Wing-kee’s life bore witness to the value of freedom of expression, and to the fear and suffering inflicted by authoritarian repression,” Lai wrote. “He chose not to remain silent. Instead, he reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taiwan, turning it into a place where friends from Hong Kong could gather, speak out and support one another.”