Sweden cautions European Union on Beijing-Moscow ties and ‘challenges’ posed by China
- Scandinavian country urges the European Union to adopt a ‘common and clear’ stance to deal with China’s growing geopolitical ambitions in Europe
- Paper comes with Sweden’s relations with China at the lowest ebb among all EU member nations
Sweden has unveiled a China strategy paper detailing Stockholm’s concerns about Beijing-Moscow ties and urging the European Union to adopt a “common and clear” position to “manage the challenges” posed by China’s growing geopolitical ambitions in Europe.
Released on Wednesday, a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping declared on the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic that “no force” could obstruct China’s advances, the paper comes as Sweden’s relations with China are at the lowest ebb among all EU member nations.
Former Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai, a Swedish national born in China, has spent much of the past four years in detention for publishing politically sensitive materials.
In addition, the proliferation of Chinese investments across Europe is forcing Sweden – a traditional advocate of free trade – to move towards considering a national investment-screening mechanism.
Sweden’s strategy paper “calls for cooperation between the EU and the US in meeting security-related challenges stemming from China’s global rise”, said Bjorn Jerden, Asia programme head at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.