What Chinese tourist row in Sweden says about the future of Europe-China relations
Björn Jerdén and Viking Bohman say the Chinese embassy’s forceful response to its citizens being evicted from a Swedish hotel by police indicates that more friction may be in the offing between the new global power and Europe
China’s forceful reaction is surprising but not an isolated event. It follows on from an unprecedented propaganda offensive, which has developed since the new Chinese ambassador to Sweden, Gui Congyou, took up his post last year.
Watch: Chinese tourists claim mistreatment by Swedish police
As the first non-Communist country in Europe to establish relations with China in 1950, Sweden has traditionally enjoyed stable relations with Beijing. As a result, views on China have also been quite favourable among Swedes, even if the country’s undemocratic political system was never held in high regard.
But things might be changing. Despite the Chinese embassy’s persistent efforts, Swedish criticism has continued and even intensified as a result of attempts to coerce and shape public opinion. The embassy’s unusual arguments with threatening undertones have surely struck Swedish media consumers as slightly bizarre.
The embassy has emphasised the need for an “objective” view of China, free from bias and the “media tyranny” being practised by some Swedish actors. Unsurprisingly, the idea that the Communist Party is the sole purveyor of truth about China has proven to be a hard sell in Sweden.
In recent decades, Sweden has been quite active in promoting human rights and the rule of law in China through non-contentious channels. Like most European countries, however, it has also sought to avoid speaking out on issues which could spark angry reactions in Beijing. The current prime minister’s refusal to portray China as a “dictatorship” reflects the will to keep a low profile.
While the government’s overall policy direction will probably remain unchanged, it is looking increasingly doubtful that Sweden will be able to maintain a soft approach as Chinese activity in Sweden continues to spur counter-reactions and domestic calls for the release of Gui Minhai grow.
The puzzling part: there is no trace of a discussion in Sweden about the possibility of Chinese interference in the election – not in the media, not among politicians, not even in national security circles. The embassy’s unprovoked denial has left observers confused.
The fate of Gui Minhai continues to be the main point of disagreement between the two countries. Gui was associated with a bookstore in Hong Kong that published titles on China’s top leaders.
This case is set to be highlighted by the media later this month at Sweden’s biggest book fair, to which Gui has been invited.
It has been speculated that China might have exploited the tourist incident in Stockholm to shift attention away from its own human rights record. The embassy has boldly accused Sweden of violating the “basic human rights” of the Chinese citizens.
What has changed in recent years is that the economic and political costs for crossing China are higher. Normally, this should make European countries more reluctant to criticise China.
But as it happens, China’s growing influence coincides with a China-critical turn in European perceptions and policies.
Combined, these two trends speak in favour of some turbulence. Friction is imminent when a more proactive and authoritarian China confronts exasperated European countries. China’s handling of its “Sweden problem” might tell us a great deal about what is to come in the Europe-China relations.
Björn Jerdén is head of the Asia Programme at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, where Viking Bohman is an analyst