Independent Chinese PEN Center

Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organisation beyond borders based on free association of those who write, edit, translate, research and publish literature work in Chinese and dedicated to freedom of expression for the workers in Chinese language and literature, including writers, journalists, translators, scholars and publishers over the world. ICPC is a member organisation of PEN International, the global association of writers dedicated to freedom of expression and the defence of writers suffering governmental repression. Through the worldwide PEN network and its own membership base in China and abroad, ICPC is able to mobilise international attention to the plight of writers and editors within China attempting to write and publish with a spirit of independence and integrity, regardless of their political views, ideological standpoint or religious beliefs.

In July 2001, ICPC was founded by a group of Chinese writers in exile and in China, and approved as a chapter of PEN International at its annual congress in London in November. Since then, ICPC has made vigorous efforts to promote and defend the freedom of writing and publication and the free flow of information in China, and been deeply concerned about the state of civil society and open discourse there.

In April-May 2020, ICPC held its Nineth Internet Congress of the Membership Assembly to have elected 9 Board members and 2 alternates. Then the Board have elected Prof. Yiran PEI (USA) as the president, Mr. Shiying ZHAO (previous vice-president, China) and Prof. Song TAN (USA) as vice-presidents, and Dr. Yu ZHANG (Sweden) as the secretary-general. The late president Dr. Liu Xiaobo, who had been imprisoned since December 2008 until his death under the police custody on 13 July 2017, was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.