An Open Letter to Chinese PEN in Beijing
from the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC)

August, 25, 2004

International PEN will convene its 70th Congress in Tromso, Norway from September 6th through 13th. A special session will be held to discuss how International PEN can carry out its activities, first and foremost to promote freedom of expression. The Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) is therefore writing this open letter to you, Chinese PEN in Beijing, to appeal for dialogue and collaboration, so that, together, we can fulfill International PEN’s ideal in China of defending Chinese writers’ freedom of expression and their rights to publish and promote promote the development of Chinese literature.

We would like to emphasize following points:

1. Both your PEN Center and the ICPC are Chinese writers’ organization which have
   signed International PEN’s charter and are legal, charter members of International PEN. Therefore, we share the same goals, same duties, same obligations and interests, and thus establishing our common basis for dialogue and collaboration.
   
2. According to International PEN’s regulations, one country or region, using the same language can support several PEN centres. Examples of this are American PEN and American West PEN in the United States, the PEN Centers in Sydney and in Melbourne in Australia, and several centres in Switzerland. In China, several PEN Centers were established, e.g., in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, despite the fact that none of them are currently active. Therefore, ICPC may coexist amicably with multiple Chinese PEN Centers, including Chinese PEN in Beijing, Hong Kong PEN, Taiwan PEN , and Overseas Chinese PEN.
   
3. According to International PEN’s charter, PEN Centers should be non-governmental organizations (NGO) and charged to act as writers’ organization which defend writers’ freedoms, rights and interests. It is not the right of a governmental administration or institution to control writers, nor act as a tool for the government to interfere with writers’ literary content or their publications. PEN Centers should not serve as the mouthpiece for any particular ideology or religion.
   
4. With the above points serving as prerequisites, ICPC would like to engage in broad dialogue and collaboration with Chinese PEN in Beijing, to defend Chinese writers’ freedoms and rights to produce literary work and publication freely, and to promote the development of Chinese literature and its communication with world literature. We would like, for example, to provide Chinese translations of all of International PEN’s documents to the Beijing PEN Center for free, so that International PEN’s ideals will be posted to your website, and allow all of your members to be informed of International PEN’s activities and developments. We would like to share our information and files regarding the conditions of imprisoned Chinese writers with the Beijing PEN Center so that we can work together for their release.
   
5. According to the information, we understand that the Beijing PEN Center has not sent official delegates to International PEN Congresses for several years. Morevoer, ever since 1997, Chinese PEN in Beijing has not paid its international dues to International PEN, a failure of the duties of a member centre in International PEN. As far as we know, the Beijing PEN Center has not carried out any significant PEN activities inside China. This has damaged your reputation and legal position in International PEN, such that you have lost the right to vote at the International Congress. We appeal to you to be active, to pay the international dues owed over the years, and to send official delegates to International PEN’s Congress. We ask that the Beijing PEN Center take part in discussions about International PEN’s work in China and make concrete plans to fulfill International PEN’s goals. With such active participation, the Beijing PEN Center will re-establish its position as a responsible and legal member of International PEN, benefitting your Center’s reputation and all of your members.
   
6. International PEN’s presence in China has a long history. It can be traced back to the 1920s when Mr. CAI Yuanpei established Chinese PEN in Beijing. The Center had a remarkably good record in defending Chinese writers’ freedom and interests for years. No matter whether in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong or overseas, we believe that all of the centres representing Chinese writers must follow this good tradition. This tradition of active participation in International PEN can be the basis for collaboration for all of the existing Chinese PEN Centers.
   
7. In order to promote International PEN and its works in China, the Independent Chinese PEN Center has decided to invite member of International PEN’s leadership to visit China, so that they observe the challenges and opportunities for writers in China today. We hope that the Chinese PEN Center in Beijing can arrange this visits together with us. Finally, we would like to suggest that ICPC -- together with the Chinese Centers in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong – be the host to a future International PEN Congress to ttake place in China. This would be a great honor for all Chinese writers.
   

Independent Chinese PEN Center

Last Updated: August 26, 2004