Piketty Refuses to Remove 'China Inequality' Content... New Work Unlikely to Be Published in China

New Release 'Capital and Ideology' Publication Uncertain... Chinese Publisher Demands Removal of Content on China's Inequality and Wealth Gap
Piketty "Censorship Blocking Publication Is Truly Sad"

Professor Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The possibility of the new book "Capital and Ideology" by French economist Thomas Piketty, a professor at Paris School of Economics, being published in China is decreasing. This is because Piketty refused the Chinese publisher's request to delete parts describing social inequality and wealth disparity in China.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong on the 31st, Professor Piketty stated in an email to the newspaper, "I rejected the Chinese publisher's request, so it currently seems that 'Capital and Ideology' will not be published in China." The book discusses the impact of political ideologies between society and the state on the global economy and inequality. It has been published in countries other than China since last year and was introduced domestically in May.

In China, the responsible publisher, Zhongxin Publishing, requested the deletion of parts related to inequality in China, so the publication has not yet taken place. SCMP reported that while the book is not aimed specifically at China, it devotes a significant portion to the Chinese government's tolerance of social inequality, the opacity of data related to income and wealth distribution, and the paradox between China's socialist system and high inequality.

Professor Piketty pointed out in the book that the wealth held by the top 10% richest in China was about 40-50% of the country's total wealth in the early 1990s, which was a lower level of inequality than Sweden, but by 2018, this proportion had expanded to about 70%, nearly matching the highly unequal society of the United States.

He also added that information on income and wealth distribution in China is even more lacking than in Russia, another highly unequal country. Piketty mentioned that although the Chinese government required reporting of "high-income taxpayers" earning more than 120,000 yuan annually starting in 2006, data was only disclosed until 2011 and has not been released since.

However, Zhongxin Publishing stated that it is continuing discussions with Professor Piketty regarding the publication of "Capital and Ideology." This appears to be mindful of the great popularity of Piketty's 2013 book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" in China. In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping cited this book in a speech, criticizing the worsening inequality in the United States and Europe.

Professor Piketty said about President Xi's praise of "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," "It was very interesting," but added, "However, what is truly sad now is that my new book 'Capital and Ideology' still has not been published in China due to censorship."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.