China bans books by pro-Hong Kong historian who retired from Princeton

Authorities in China have ordered books by Chinese-American scholar Yu Ying-shih to be removed from sale, as Beijing expresses its displeasure with writers showing support for pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong and elsewhere, bookstores and publishers said.

The ban, which has been widely reported on Chinese social media since Saturday, also restricts the publication or sale in stores and online of books by several other authors, including liberal economist Mao Yushi, constitutional law professor Zhang Qianfan, Taiwanese writer Giddens Ko and Hong Kong critic Leung Mao-tao.

The directive is believed to have been issued by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, a government regulator, but such directives are usually issued orally and are almost impossible to be confirmed directly. Repeated calls to the agency rang unanswered Tuesday...